Left Out
by BlAcK-vAlEnTiNe
Summary: GinxOC There are many problems that can be solved by applying explosives. But when Hitsugaya Toshi became the object of Ichimaru's and Aizen's interests, can an older twin brother apply enough on a fox's guilty pleasures & a snake's deadly intentions?
1. Chapter 1

Hey, Again. This is BlAcK-vAlEnTiNe with another story. For those who read Right of the Fallen, I'm really sorry I haven't updated for so long but this idea wouldn't leave me alone since I started reading Bleach. Hopefully, I can continue with Right of the Fallen once this chapter is up. For now, enjoy the story and please don't kill the writer.

* * *

Prologue: Memories

"Just a bit longer, Midori-chan," a white-haired yet fairly young man said to the brunette woman on the futon. Fast, shallow breathing could be heard from said woman as she gripped the white comforter and her companion's hand. An older man, situated between her spread legs, instructed the younger to calm his wife down or else the delivery might go badly. What was happening in the candle-lit room had been going on for hours; to the young couple, it seemed as if time stopped altogether because of the pain and worry they felt for the fruit of their love. It had been nearly an entire day since the soon-to-be mother had gone into labor. Outside, the late December air began to dance while the pale full moon gave more light to the modest but well-cared for home.

Moments later, the sounds of a crying baby was heard. As the doctor cleaned and wrapped the newborn infant in a blanket, he said to young man and the still breathless woman, "It's a boy, Hitsugaya-san." Before he could say anything else, the doctor was interrupted by a pain-filled scream. The new mother gulped down a breath of air as she once again started to push. The doctor handed the bewildered father his son before returning to his previous position. Frankly, he was surprised that there was another child within Midori's womb but that, at least, explained why she went into labor nearly a month before her due date. Not long after, another crying baby entered the world and the lives of the new parents. Once the exhausted woman regained her normal breathing rate, the doctor gave her the second child. "This one is a girl, Hitsugaya-san. Congratulations," the village doctor said to the proud parents.

The husband and father, arms laden with his son, bowed, "Arigatou, Takamura-sensei." The medicine man accepted the couple's gratitude and, deciding to give the new family some alone time, said he would return to check on the children within the week. The pale-haired man escorted the older man to the door and returned to his wife and daughter. He found them already asleep, his wife's arms wrapped around the child lovingly and protectively. His son's eyes, still unfocused, began to droop and the father prepared his tired family for bed. He kissed Midori's cheek and did the same to his children's foreheads. "Oyasuminasai." It had been a long day for all of them.

* * *

Eight years have passed since that cold December night. The small relatively unknown village had not changed; the atmosphere was still safe and peaceful despite the bloody war the whole world was plunged into. The villagers, on the other hand, have changed greatly; the cycle of time stopping for no mortal. Two such mortals were the Hitsugaya twins, no longer defenseless babies. Both had the pure white hair of their father, Yukio, and the bright emerald eyes of their mother. Their pale skin complimented their snowy locks and enhanced their intelligent eyes.

Tōshirō had strong boyish looks that matched his short spiky hair. The lithe and toned stature he inherited from his father helped him excel in many fighting style despite being shorter than all the other eight-year-olds. His stubborn and serious attitude intimidated many of the other children yet his insightful and responsible statements amazed adults. Though quite proud and anti-social, he was very loving towards his family and extremely protective of his little sister, literally beating the snot out of the bastard who took away her smile.

Toshi, on the other hand, had their mother's petite and delicate features, accentuated by the chin-length straight hair framing her cherubic face. Her slim body structure hid the skills she had in swordplay and hand-to-hand combat. She has shown herself to be an intelligent and loving young lady and a good judge of character, knowing when someone has an alternative motive or not. Though she is just as skilled in fighting as her brother, she refuses to use them in less than dire situations.

For eight years, there have been no problems other than the occasional natural catastrophe. Unfortunately, the Second World War cast its black shadow over the small farming community. For the past week, the village was forced to play host to a battalion of violent soldiers. From the comfort and security of their home, little Toshi asked her mother, "Kaasan, the soldiers will leave soon, won't they?" Tōshirō, sensing his sister's worry, walked over to her and squeezed her hand to give the girl a small amount of comfort. He also wondered why they were here and when they would leave the village.

Midori embraced her children. "I don't know, Toshi-chan," she said, also answering her son's other question. "But I want you two to remember what to do in case something happens." She received small nods from her children. Turning to Tōshirō, she told him, "Tōshirō-kun, be sure to take care of your little sister during the time."

"Hai, Kaasan," the small boy answered with determination. His grip on his twin became slightly tighter to remind himself of his duty as the older brother while not hurting her.

The days passed swiftly and a light blanket of snow covered the village. As the twins were getting ready for bed one night, Yukio rushed into the house and told his small family that the soldiers have started to attack the villagers arbitrarily. The children wasted no time in grabbing their warmer clothes and running into the woods behind their home. They never saw their parents' sad yet smiling faces as they shut the door and ran out the front door.

Tōshirō kept a firm grip on Toshi's hand the twins dodged numerous trees and jumped over fallen branches and exposed roots. Once they arrived at a clearing, Tōshirō let go of his sister's hand. "We have to do something in case the soldiers follow us. Our footprints are really easy to follow because of the snow."

Gazing around the clearing, Toshi noticed that several trees still had there leaves. "Niichan, maybe we can split up and make fake trails. We can meet back here and stay in a tree while the soldiers follow the footprints." Tōshirō, though extremely reluctant to leave his little sister's side, agreed and said to hide in the tallest tree that still kept some reminders of autumn in an hour. With a final look begging the other to be careful, the twins ran in different directions; both chose to ignore the brightening orange glow from the village and the growing pain in their hearts.

Some time later, Toshi found herself hidden by the crisp leaves of the tree, '_It's a good thing our clothes match the color of the leaves_,' the little white-haired girl thought as she waited for her twin brother. She regularly peeked out of the brown foliage to see if Tōshirō was coming or if any soldiers were walking through the forest. Once, she thought she saw a man wearing loose black clothing but he disappeared before she could get a better look so she thought she must have imagined him. Finally, she saw Tōshirō cautiously observing the clearing from behind a tree trunk and resisted the urge to call for him as he made his way to the tree. Minutes later, the protective brother was checking the younger for any injuries but thankfully found only a few scratches. The two green-eyed children stayed in their leafy hiding place until well past sunrise the next day.

* * *

It had been nearly a month since the twins left the destroyed village that had been their home for the entire length of their short lives. The light snow that had prevailed during that time had turned into a blizzard. They were no longer able to depend on the few travelers that took pity on them or the forest as the cold had driven both people and nature away. They had taken shelter in an empty cave for the night. As they did the night of their parents' death, they huddled together to stay warm. The older had fallen asleep next to her some time ago but Toshi stayed up to watch the howling wind toss the snow around. As she closed her eyes, she saw her brother standing in front of her with a depressed expression and a man wearing somewhat familiar black clothes.

When she woke up, she was in the arms of her brother, far from the stone wall they had leaned on to sleep. The black-clad man she saw sat cross-legged just before the spot they had rested on. When she snuggled closer to Tōshirō, she saw a chain protruding from the center of his chest. She looked at her own chest and saw an identical and somewhat longer chain. "We're dead, aren't we, Niichan?" she mumbled.

Tōshirō, knowing that it was useless to lie to someone who could also see spirits in life, made a sound of confirmation. The well-built rugged man sympathetically blocking the sight of their dead bodies waited for them to notice him before saying, "Since ya know yer spirits now, I can skip dat part." Clearing his throat, he continued, "I'm Hanajima Ryu, a shinigami."

"I though there was only one shinigami, "Tōshirō muttered.

"Hanajima-san also does not look the way Tousan described shinigami," Toshi shyly added.

Hanajima wanted to bash his head against the cave wall. No matter how many times he performed konsō, he would ALWAYS hear some version of certain lines, those two being the most frequent ones. Refraining from giving himself a headache and traumatizing the kids in front of him even more, he recited with more than a hint of annoyance, "There are a lotta shinigami and we look like normal people for da most part. Shinigami don't eat souls and we don't hunt down naughty brats who wander around at night. We send dead souls ta Soul Society, da afterlife, or Hell by performing konsō. Is there anything else ya wanna know?"

The twins were silent for a while. "…Will we still be together when we get to Soul Society?" asked Tōshirō as his grip on his little sister became tighter. Toshi seemed to worry about that fact as well since she clutched the boy's clothes in her tiny fists, her wide eyes silently begging the shinigami to let her stay with her brother.

Hanajima winced at the look the girl was giving him and said, "I doubt ya two would go ta Hell since the pair of ya seem like good bra…kids." Tōshirō twitched a bit at the brat-kid comment but otherwise did nothing. "Where ya end up is kinda random so I ain't sure but since da two of ya will be going there at around da same time, it could happen." The twins relaxed a bit at Hanajima's explanation but held on to each other. The shinigami sighed and muttered something about going soft before unsheathing a sword the twins were too preoccupied to notice.

The twins reacted immediately. Tōshirō unwrapped his arms from Toshi's body to let her up and took an offensive stance. The girl steeped back a bit and gracefully slid into a defensive stance, eyes scared yet determined not to allow the shinigami to hurt her or her brother. Hanajima sensed their dormant reiatsu shift a bit so he slowed his movements with a scowl. "Relax, brats." Tōshirō growled at him. "Ta perform konsō, all I do tap the base of my zanpakutou's, my sword's, pommel on yer forehead and send ya on yer merry way."

The two green-eyed children looked at each other before nodding. Tōshirō, though still wary of the armed man, slid into a semi-defensive posture and allowed the shinigami to do his job. Soon after, Toshi went through the same thing. Two bright blue flashes later, two black butterflies flew out of the cave. Hanajima gave one last look at the peaceful bodies of the children he just sent to Soul Society. '_Hope ya two really do stay together_,' he thought before hoping the other guys in the Eleventh Division don't hear about this.

* * *

"Shiro-chan! Wake up!" a girl with long black hair whined as she tried to get the child out of bed. Behind her, a sleepy girl with bright green eyes was putting away her futon as a smiling old woman smiled fondly at the children's actions. Within a few minutes, a thin old lady, a peppy girl in a red and white school uniform, a grumpy boy with glaring green eyes and a fully awake girl with pure white hair were having breakfast and chatting.

Tōshirō and Toshi have been in Soul Society for six years now. They met Hinamori Momo, the dark-eyed girl seated with them, soon after arriving in the first district of Western Rukongai, Junrin'an. They were then taken in by Momo's guardian, an old lady all three children affectionately called Baachan. The girls were able to hit it off splendidly once Toshi got used to the overly cheerful girl. Tōshirō slowly warmed up to the girl, becoming nearly as protective over her as he was with his sister. However, he wasn't above insulting her, giving her the nickname Bed-wetter Momo just days after meeting her when he found her crying because of tripping over a rock.

Today was one of the few times Momo was able to come visit during the weekends this year. Both twins figured the girl was working so hard in the Shinigami Academy so she could get into the Fifth Division and closer to the captain, Aizen Sousuke, who the naïve girl had a huge crush on. With how much the infatuated girl rambled on about the shinigami captain, it was ridiculously easy for the mentally advanced children to make that deduction. Tōshirō, though he refused to admit it, was worried about Momo's crush as it bordered on obsession countless times.

The small family spent most of the day with each other before Momo went to spend time with her friends, Tatsukichi and Ayumi. The twins had told Baachan that they were going to buy more ama-natto and pickled cucumbers for dinner. While her brother went to get the soy beans, Toshi went to the other side of Junrin'an to buy the cucumbers. As she walked back to the well-kept home, thinking about the two odd voices she heard in her recurring sunrise/sunset dream the night before and dodging the few people on the streets, a handful of brutish men blocked her way. She discreetly took out a small home-made smoke bomb so she could distract the thugs and escape given the right opportunity. One of them, obviously the leader of the smirking ragtag gang, swung his bokken menacingly at Toshi and said, "Alright, brat! Give us your cash and…"

The rest of the threat was cut off as the wooden sword was suddenly cut; the piece remaining in the gang leader's hand ended less than a millimeter from his fist. "Don't cha know that it's rude ta block people when they're walkin'?" The men turned around to face the owner of the voice. Toshi, barely coming up to the grown men's stomachs, couldn't see who was standing up for her when none of the residents of Junrin'an ever did in previous incidents. The little she could see was part of a plain dark blue yukata and the tip of a short scabbard. The small gang flew into a rage and rushed at the armed man before they were pushed to the ground by an unknown force. Toshi herself felt the air get heavier but it was barely noticeable; this made her confused as she could see others fall to the ground or support themselves on something solid.

Green eyes took in the possible source of the strange pressure, the man who had helped her. Despite the incredible height difference, the thin man's short hair was one of the first things she noticed. Though in his late teens, his hair was silver. The color of his hair gave him an air of mystique and dangerous elegance. His closed eyes and eerie grin made the man resemble a particularly mischievous fox yet Toshi knew that there was a side to him that few people had noticed, if any had at all. While his appearance and demeanor would give most people the chills, Toshi didn't feel threatened by the man for some reason.

As the small girl observed him, Ichimaru Gin, the off-duty captain of the Third Division, raised an eyebrow, which caused her to look away. She seemed to be ten or so, possibly younger due to her height. The tips of her white hair barely brushed her clothed shoulders and went well against her smooth blushing cheeks. Two things stood out for the albino though. The first was that she didn't look the least bit wary of him even though most would rather 'kiss a pissed off viper than be with him for any amount of time,' he recalled another shinigami mutter once. True, she did avert her gaze after a while but the faint blush coloring her cheeks told him it was because she realized she was being rude by staring at him.

The second was that she was still standing even though he was emitting enough reiatsu to bring normal souls to the ground (1). Gin spent much time in the Shinigami Academy to watch over the three his captain had an eye on so he knew most of the faces of the students. As he would have remembered a little girl with shocking white hair in the academy uniform, this meant that she never had any shinigami training yet had a lot of power in her.

Gin reined in his reiatsu, amusement danced through his eyes as the crowd disbursed like agitated ants. The girl in front of him however, stood still as if she wanted something from him. When they were all alone, Toshi took several shy steps up to him. With a bright blush, she gave a deep bow and said, "Thank you for helping me." With that, she ran past him probably to get to her destination sooner, or maybe it was more to hide the even brighter blush from him. Gin couldn't help but think how cute the girl was when she blushed.

As he made his way towards the Western Gate of Seireitei, he saw a familiar orange-haired figure wearing a pink ascot walking towards him. His trademark mischievous fox grin became softer at seeing his friend before it turned into a confused frown at the well-endowed woman's thoughtful expression. It was not that Gin thought his (possibly) only friend was an idiot; it was just that Matsumoto Rangiku wasn't really a deep thinker. "Is something on your mind, Ran-chan? (2)" Rangiku was startled out of her thoughts by hearing his voice and told him her encounter with a white-haired kid with enormous and uncontrolled power. "I met her too but she didn't seem like the angry little kid you made her out to be."

At his comment, Rangiku gave him a weird look. "I'm pretty sure he's a boy, Gin. He might only look ten but his voice is too deep to be a girl's and his hair was really scruffy too. I saw him at the sweet shop (3) a few minutes ago." Gin, finally understanding what was going, gave Rangiku his usual smile and said they'd better report the TWO kids they met. The next day, Hitsugaya Tōshirō and Hitsugaya Toshi became the two newest students of the Shinigami Academy.

* * *

Toshi walked back from the Tenth Division. She and Tōshirō had just recently graduated from the Shinigami Academy and were assigned to different divisions. They graduated much earlier than everyone else, staying in the academy for no more than a year. Her brother, due to his personality and deductive skills, was given a place in the Tenth Division. Toshi, on the other hand, was assigned to the Eleventh Division.

Though everyone who knows her couldn't understand why such a gentle and shy soul was designated to the roughest and most violent division in Gotei 13, the captain of the Thirteenth Division who had grown fond of them, Ukitake Jūshirō, told the two of them that Yamamoto-soutaicho was concerned about her reluctance to injure an opponent, making her unfit for many of the divisions. Though it would have been ideal for her to stay in the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu, like many others, believed that it would be a waste of a good fighter. It was the hope of many captains that she would learn to assert herself in battle by assigning her in that particular division (and survive her stay in one piece).

Kenpachi Zaraki wasn't overly pleased with the fact that he was given a newbie who wasn't into fighting like all the shinigami in his division should be but even he knew not to go against a direct order from the head captain. Besides, his vice-captain seemed to have gotten attached to her when she visited the academy unsupervised. He didn't know the exact details but it had something to do with the famous Hitsugaya twins, chocolate, several destroyed facilities and months of therapy for many of the teachers and students.

When she arrived at the receiving area of her assigned division, she noticed a few really important things. All the other new recruits were big and tough men and those who weren't sizing up one another were currently looking at her like she was something you would never let a pig roll in. Taking the hint, she crept to the back of the room to wait for the captain. The new recruits waited for their captain to appear or something to happen at the very least. The men were getting restless and Toshi grew more nervous. She knew that men who talk with their fists and weapons tend to get extremely violent and go for whoever they thought was weakest. Unluckily for her, she was the only one who did not develop a large amount of muscle or stand above five feet, making her the ideal target for a large crowd of impatient and extremely brutal men.

Just as a small group of irritated shinigami decided to go over and communicate with her, a strong reiatsu pressed down on them. Toshi, who only felt a little weight pressing down on her, was far better off than the other recruits who had collapse. Some of the more vulnerable ones had even fainted from the pressure. Toshi quickly did what she could to make them more comfortable; more than once did she have to help another shinigami stop a nosebleed caused by the increased gravity. Unconsciously, she thought it was Zaraki-taicho as he was the only person to become a captain of Gotei 13 by sheer power alone but reasoned that he would have to have more power than this if that were true. At the moment though, she was more worried about her fellow recruits and wondered if they would get into trouble than the owner of the reiatsu.

With her efforts to helping her fellow trainees, she failed to see a bald man observing the new recruits. '_Zaraki-taicho won't be happy with this year's batch_,' Madarame Ikkaku, the third seat of the division, thought. Spotting Toshi dragging an unconscious recruit to make him lean against a wall, he pondered on the situation a bit more. '_The kid might be interesting if she can still move around and mother the idiots who can't even stand when Yumichika spars with the rest of the seated officers_.' With a sigh, he went to report to his captain what he had observed. He would later thank the pink-haired vice-captain by the name of Kusajishi Yachiru for being unable to find said battle-loving captain.

* * *

Toshi grunted as she dodged another strike, her long white hair trailing after her like silk. She had made great progress behavior wise and it showed as she was now more confident in using her already excellent fighting abilities. For the past few years, she had trained hard in all aspects of zankensouki. She trained in zanjutsu with many of the members of the Eleventh Division, earning their respect in the process. She practiced kidou with Momo whenever she could and spent much time sparring with Tōshirō using hakuda and hohou.

Recently, she was transferred to the Tenth Division as she was requested to fill in the vacant position of the fourth seat. She had not only survived her duration in the Eleventh Division but also enjoyed her stay there as the division members found her to be strong and compassionate in sparring. Yachiru, who gave her the nickname Seppen-neechan, adored the older looking girl and was less likely to cause random mayhem and destruction when she was around. Even the fight-happy Zaraki Kenpachi had developed a soft spot for the white-haired girl once she became more dedicated in fighting. When she was given the transfer request, she got depressed because she wanted to be with her brother yet she was unwilling to leave her friends. The seated officers, especially Ayasegawa Yumichika and Madarame Ikkaku, had to reassure her that no one would get mad at her or think she was abandoning them. With a lot of assurances and several talks with her brother and Baachan, she accepted the transfer.

At the moment, she was fighting with the Tenth Division's third seat. Majority of the Tenth and Eleventh Divisions as well as many from other divisions have come to watch the match. Among them were several captains and vice-captains including Yamamoto-soutaicho, who had come to personally see her progress. While this made her more nervous than anything else, the presences of her twin brother and childhood friend, the newly instated Tenth Division Captain and Fifth Division Vice-captain respectively, encouraged her to do her best and make him proud. She parried a wild strike and countered with thrust that cut the skin where neck met shoulder as a warning on just how far things could be taken. It seemed that the man understood as he was now more wary of her.

The match continued a little longer until Toshi swept the fourth seat's feet from under him. The shinigami lost his footing and zanpakutou and felt the very tip of his opponent's sword poking his throat as he lay on the ground. Both knew that the battle was over now; the felled shinigami knew that before it had even begun as Toshi was able to fight on par with Ikkaku often. With a clear victor, the gathered audience cheered the small girl who tried and failed to contain the blush spreading across her cheeks. The former third seat congratulated her before leaving her to fend off an ecstatic Rangiku, a hyper Yachiru, a happy and relieved Momo and a proud Tenth Division Captain.

Unknown to many in the crowd, a sneaky captain also watched the proceedings. He had watched the Hitsugaya twins, especially Toshi, since they came through the gates of Seireitei. She had grown since they first met on the streets of Junrin'an. Before, she was no taller than his stomach maybe but now she came just below hid chest his chest. Her hair now reached her shoulder blades and she was starting to develop a more mature figure.

His inner musings were interrupted by the arrival of a dark-haired figure wearing a captain's haori over a standard shihakushou. The new arrival spoke to the fox-faced captain, "Any news, Ichimaru?" His voice was soft as not to attract attention from the cheering crowd.

Without looking away from the shy girl currently being suffocated by his childhood friend's enormous bust, Gin shook his head. He sometimes wondered why he agreed to this crazy plan and how he was supposed to stay sane with all the blathering and plots he had to listen to. "He's still lookin' fer it but sez he's getting' close." He glanced at his cohort and saw the ever stoic face of Kuchiki Byakuya. "He's found a bunch'a leads but it'll take time ta go through 'em all." The obedient captain nodded and told him to be careful. Not once did his face show emotion nor his voice change tone, however Gin knew that the noble was concerned about his colleague. Without another word, the two parted ways.

Gin sighed as he watched the older brother scold Rangiku for her actions towards his sister. The Eleventh Division Vice-captain had somehow situated herself on the gasping girl's shoulder while the remaining vice-captain held her steady. At the back of his mind, he idly wondered what it would be like to be within that tight group instead of hiding in the shadows of the Tenth Division Training Grounds.

* * *

So how was it? Mind you, this is only an experiment so if no one is really interested, I'll delete this and concentrate more on Right of the Fallen. In any case, thanks for taking the time to read my story.

Glossary: -chan: used to address children and female family members; may also be used towards animals, lovers, intimate friends, and people whom one has known since childhood

-san: used for surnames or given names as a common courtesy title like "Mr." or "Ms."

Arigatou: thank you

Ama-natto: fermented steamed soy beans

Baachan: grandmother

Bokken: wooden Japanese sword used for training

Futon: Japanese mattress

Gotei 13: 13 Division Imperial Guards; organization most shinigami join

Haori: hip- or thigh-length kimono jacket which adds formality

Junrin'an: part of West Rukongai

Kaasan: mother

Konsō: soul burial; the process by which a soul is sent to Soul Society by a shinigami

Neechan: big sister

Niichan: big brother

Oyasuminasai: good night

Reiatsu: spirit pressure; the energy in a soul that can be used to attack

Rukongai: Wandering soul city; the largest portion of Soul Society and the most populated. It is divided into 320 districts (80 in the north, 80 in the west, etc.)

Seireitei: Court of Pure Souls; center of Soul Society where shinigami and nobility live

Sensei: basically means teacher, master or doctor. Here though, it's used as doctor

Seppen: snowflake

Shihakushou: shinigami's uniform

Shinigami: If you don't know this, shame on you.

Soutaicho: commander-general

Taicho: captain

Tousan: father

Yukata: Japanese summer garment

Zankensouki: name for the 4 basic combat techniques of the shinigami, hakuda (hand-to-hand), hohou (walking method), kidou (demon arts), and zanjutsu (swordsmanship)

Zanpakutou: Soul slayer; weapon used by shinigami to kill hollows

Notes: (1) In this fic, those with reiatsu can negate the reiatsu of others if it is not too strong while normal souls have no defense against it.

(2) As much as I love Gin's accent, there is no way I can replicate it. I edited what he said to the thugs many times before I was satisfied. He'll use his accent when he's not around people he trust (A.K.A. everyone except Toshi, Kira and Rangiku).

(3) I checked a Kanji dictionary program, Jishop, and found out that the sign of the shop Tōshirō and Rangiku in chapter -15 page 11 said 'sweet' more or less.


	2. Chapter 2

I finally had time to finish this chapter. I was planning to put this up in January but as I keep saying college is evil.

Enjoy the story!

* * *

Chapter 1: Before the Betrayal

Toshi was on her way to the Fourth Division. Because of the amount of paperwork that had accumulated due to their lieutenant's loathing for work, her brother was in need of more ink and asked the person he trusted and got along with the most to run the errand. Seeing that Matsumoto Rangiku, the happy-go-lucky yet lazy vice-captain of the Tenth Division was once again passed out on the couch, she decided to get something for the loud and busty officer's hangover as well. She easily navigated her way through Seireitei's maze-like passages; her good memory and years of traveling on Zaraki-taicho's back with Yachiru-chan gave her mastery over the walled labyrinthine city. With a fond smile, she reminisced the good times she spent in the Eleventh Division from seeing Hanajima Ryu, the shinigami who sent her and her brother to Soul Society, to taking care of her self-appointed pink-haired sister.

"Ohayou, Toshi-chan." The mischief-filled greeting shook the white-haired girl from her thoughts. She turned around and instantly saw the person who called to her come out of a connecting corridor. The young shinigami had to fight down her embarrassment for having someone see her head in the clouds, especially when that person was him.

She gave him a smile. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Ichimaru-taicho," she said, glad that her voice was steady. She had absolutely no idea what it was about the Third Division captain that made her heart beat so quickly. In fact, she knew next to nothing about the silver-haired shinigami except that he enjoyed annoying people, befriended Rangiku when they still lived in Rukongai and a few other observations she made. She nervously tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she fell into step with Ichimaru Gin.

"Where are you headed, Toshi-chan?" he asked, breaking the brief yet companionable silence. The older man's trademark foxy grin softened into a more sincere smile as he observed the shy girl beside him. Her hair was, as always, loose and rested on the dark material of her shihakushou. Her smooth skin, paler than that of her brother's, made her seem vulnerable and weak even to those who had seen her in a fight. Her zanpakutou, a kodachi with a light blue and white hilt held in a dark blue sheath, hung by her side, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. At the physical age of thirteen, she was slowly but surely developing curves that were just barely able to make themselves known under the confines of the black uniform. Walking side by side with Ichimaru, one could see that she almost came up to his chest now.

"Niichan sent me to the Fourth Division to get more ink. Since Rangiku-san passed out on the couch again, I also need to get something for the headache she'll undoubtedly wake up with," the young third seat answered. The younger Hitsugaya twin heard the older man's deep chuckle. Tilting her head to the side, she asked the squinty-eyed captain what was wrong.

"I was wondering why Kira-kun passed out and reeked of sake in my office; he's never had more than a few cups at a time," Ichimaru replied, his grin becoming more mischievous as he remembered the state his own vice-captain was in. "It seems Ran-chan found herself a new drinking buddy last night." For the benefit of the adorably naïve girl walking beside him, he refrained from hinting that the blonde vice-captain was somehow relieved of every article of clothing save for his underwear. Again, his smile widened at the mental image of his unconscious and semi-naked subordinate and friend.

Though clearly misunderstanding the reason for her superior's amusement, thinking that young nobleman did something completely out of character and/or hilarious before falling into an alcohol-induced coma, she giggled. "Izuru-fukutaicho must have been really amusing to make you smile like that." Receiving a raised eyebrow and realizing that she said that aloud to her superior officer, she blushed and was about to apologize when a large hand rested on her head, stopping the red-faced girl in her tracks.

Gin crouched down to her level. He noticed how close their faces were and inwardly smirked at the picture they were giving. Toshi, on the other hand, blushed deeper at their short distance. With their faces so close, Toshi thought she could see hints of crimson in the older man's nearly closed eyes. "What do you mean by that, Toshi-chan?" The albino division captain did not let any of his naughty inner thoughts become apparent on his face; he had a kind serene expression that was patiently waiting for the young girl to answer.

Inhaling slowly, Toshi forced herself to calm down. "I just noticed that when Ichimaru-taicho usually smiles, his shoulders are a bit stiff and his jaw is tense. But just now, he was very relaxed," she answered. Her gaze and voice were steady and clear despite her obvious embarrassment.

Though the mischievous captain showed no sign that he was interested in the answer, which left the younger Hitsugaya confused and a bit hurt, he was surprised, impressed and faintly amused that Toshi was able to pick up such subtle details. True enough, ever since he became a shinigami and had a part in this game of cloak and daggers, he had never had the opportunity to truly relax unless he was drunk off his ass. Sadly and luckily, those times were few and far between. He gave the young third seat a real smile and a pat on the head to show him that he was neither mad nor offended. As he was standing up, he slipped something into the emerald-eyed shinigami's pocket before excusing himself.

Discretely looking over his shoulder, he watched as Toshi stood in place with a deep blush decorating her cheeks for a few minutes before going on her way. As he walked two thoughts traveled through his head. The first was what he thought about the way Toshi was when she was daydreaming. '_She's really adorable when she spaces off like that_.' Another was about the little gift he had just given her. '_It would look nice on her_.' With his usual grin in place, he made his way towards the Sixth Division to 'annoy' a certain aristocrat.

The next day, Toshi's normally free hair was held back by a barrette decorated with two pure black onyx stones. When Tōshirō asked about it, she just blushed and told her brother, "A man with a nice smile gave it to me." Her brother, being the way-too-protective-and-paranoid-to-leave-something-like-this-alone type, took to following the easily embarrassed girl during his free time, glaring at any male who looked at her direction longer that absolutely necessary and pointedly ignored anyone who commented on his (to his mind) alleged obsessively protective older brother tendencies unless they were made by the orange-haired lieutenant of their division. In his defense, it would be quite difficult to ignore someone when she was suffocating you with her well-endowed breasts while squealing at how cute you were acting. However, one really should tell him that denial of that intensity was unhealthy.

Toshi sighed as she walked around Seireitei. She understood that Tōshirō was merely worried about her because he loved her but he had been incredibly frustrating during the past three months. At the moment, she was able to have some room to breathe as said boy captain was attending a meeting regarding the extended absence of an unseated officer of the Thirteenth Division, Kuchiki Rukia.

The entire thing was slightly troubling to the young seated officer as the duration of a long-term mission changes according to the circumstances; from what her friends and fellow third seat officers, Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentarō, told her, Rukia was a responsible person and she had only been gone for a little over a month.

"_Don't look too much into it, Toshi-chan_," a soft warm voice mentally told her. In her mind, a young woman with long wavy ginger blonde hair gave her a calming look. Her sun-kissed skin glowed in warm bright radiance along with her elegantly intricate hairpiece and belt. Her white dress hung from straps of woven gold. Flowing transparent white of the thinnest fabric attached to similar gold bands covered her forearms. Her dress, partially made of the same thin material, covered her intimate body parts with more opaque cloth. Her graceful feet were bare, letting her feel the cool grass of the young shinigami's forest mindscape. The feature that stood out the most, however, would be the feathery white wings. They were the exact same color as the beautiful dress she wore and would be able to wrap around the young lady like a fluffy cocoon should she wish it.

The motherly figure's amber eyes showed concern towards the soft-spoken girl when Toshi tried to rationalize the situation further. "_But things have gotten increasingly tense lately, Akaru-chan_." She chewed on her lip. "_Kuchiki-taicho and Renji-san are worried about Rukia-san. Ichimaru-taicho is more tense than usual and Aizen-taicho_..." Toshi stopped there. Since she met the bespectacled captain, she felt an uneasy presence around the man.

"_There is nothing we can do for the moment, Toshi-chan_," a more somber voice said. From a branch of a tall tree, a woman gently floated down to the grassy clearing, not disturbing a single blade of grass when she landed. She and Akaru bore similar faces identifying them as sisters yet were different in every other way. The newcomer had equally long straight hair as her sister but the lengthy tresses were darker than midnight. In the eternal twilight of the mindscape, her pale skin stood out in stark contrast as it seemed to give of a dim white glow. Her apparel was much more revealing than her sister's as it was only consisted of black stretchy material that seemed artfully cut to show much skin while tastefully preserving her dignity and virtue. A large metallic accessory rested between her breasts and complemented the other pieces of jewelry she wore. A gray length of see-through material wrapped around her arms and hips, accentuating her poised and voluptuous figure. Like her sister, she too had large wings but the feathers were a sleek black that captured whatever light that shined on them.

"_But_…"

"_Yami-chan and I understand_," Akaru said.

"_But we cannot jump to conclusion, little mistress_," continued Yami. "_The three of us know Aizen is up to something but we have no evidence to act upon_." The worried girl was silent, knowing that the spirits of her zanpakutou were right. Both women sent a wave of comfort to their young partner. Because of their nature, the balance-based zanpakutou, Akaruyami, can sense a person's intentions. Coupled with Toshi's already impressive intuition, the three knew it was best to keep an eye on the Fifth Division captain.

Sighing at her inability to take action, Toshi rounded a corner and hit a toned chest. Looking up to the person she ran into in order to apologize, she saw the fox-like smile of the possibly red-eyed captain and felt the blood rush to her face. "Mou…Toshi-chan, you should really stay aware of your surroundings when you walk around." Hearing the playful captain gently criticize her, her blush deepened and she stuttered out an apology.

Ichimaru chuckled at the girl's embarrassment and patted her head. He assured the blushing stuttering child that no harm was done and invited her to walk with him. Toshi shyly accepted, thanking her foresight in leaving a note on her brother's desk in case he returned before she did.

_

* * *

Niichan,_

_I went out for a walk. I'll be back soon. DON'T FOLLOW ME!!! See you later. Love, Toshi_

_P.S. I organized your paperwork according to priority. The more important ones are closer to your chair. Don't work too hard. There're some snacks from Ukitake-taicho in the cupboard. I made sure they aren't the really sweet ones._

Tōshirō did not know whether to leave immediately to find his baby sister or to thank her by tackling the piles of paper that she had no authority to work on then leaving to find her. Rangiku, who read over her captain's head (1), was amused by the child prodigy's dilemma. In the end, he decided to do his paperwork, to respect Toshi's request for some time alone and to interrogate said sister once she returns.

* * *

The pale-haired couple walked for a while, neither one saying a word. Toshi looked up to the smiling captain and deeply inhaled. Ichimaru shifted his gaze to the girl beside him, idly wondering at his companion's actions. "Ichimaru-taicho, I want to thank you for the hairclip you gave me," Toshi said, proud that she was able to say so without her usual blush.

Smirking, Ichimaru decided to tease the cute little girl. As she knew that he was the one who gave it to her, he decided to ask a different, possibly more difficult question. "Why did you take so long to thank me, Toshi-chan? It was rather rude of you to wait so long before thanking someone who gave you a gift." At this, Toshi was unable to stop the oncoming rush of blood. The captain inwardly snickered at her discomfort.

"I-I wanted t-to thank Ichimaru-taicho a-as soon as I found it in my pocket but it was already very late when I found it. I tried to thank you the next day but Niichan saw it and has been following me around whenever he has the time ever since and…umm…," Toshi rambled nervously. The clearly embarrassed girl cursed herself for acting like an idiotic school girl in front of her first crush whenever she was with the fox-like captain. She didn't even like the impish captain like that, right? Right?

* * *

Hearing their partner's thoughts, both Akaru and Yami couldn't help but express their opinions to each other. "_**Isn't Toshi-chan adorable when she has no idea what she's feeling?**_" Akaru asked her dark sister in a manner that reminded one of a gushing mother with their baby. Yami simply scoffed at their mistress' naïveté and muttered that her far too protective brother was to blame. Yami stalked back into the forest to secretly and silently enjoy Toshi's embarrassment while Akaru openly giggled and squealing at her adorably confused wielder.

* * *

Ichimaru couldn't help but snicker when the usually articulate girl couldn't politely tell him that her brother hated his very existence and would have strangled him with his large intestine should the boy genius find out that he was the one who gave the barrette to her. The glares he gave all the men who so much as looked at the blushing young girl beside him said it all. Deciding to put the poor girl out of her misery, he petted her on the head. "Daijobu, Toshi-chan." The captain marveled at the emerald-eyed girl's hair. It was soft and smooth under his callused hands and as white as freshly fallen snow. He subtly removed his gift from her hair to freely play with the girl's hair.

The young girl blushed under his ministrations. While she was slightly upset that she was being stroked like a favorite dog or cat, she had to admit that it felt nice so she let the captain continue. She was slightly worried when the captain removed her barrette but calmed when it was placed in her pocket. Unconsciously, she realized that it was the same pocket she had first found it in.

Neither noticed that they had stopped walking. Slowly coming to his senses, Ichimaru noticed that they had somehow wandered to a secluded section of Seireitei that had stone benches. The captain led the docile girl to one of the benches and both sat down. The silver-haired captain continued to rake his fingers through the younger shinigami's now loose locks. Enjoying the repeated stroking, Toshi leaned into the touch and slowly found herself resting on Ichimaru's chest. When she tried to get up, Ichimaru stopped her. "Ichimaru-taicho?" With confused eyes, the third seat looked up at her superior.

"Gin," the senior shinigami said. Receiving a questioning look from the girl, he elaborated. "You may call me Gin when we're alone like this." Still confused and becoming rather drowsy due to the cooling temperature and Gin's actions, Toshi settled herself back onto the captain's chest. Within a few minutes, she was asleep.

Gin watched her as her breath evened out. She looked incredibly peaceful and care-free; her white hair danced in the breeze that blew into Seireitei. Gin contemplated on what was to come; Aizen's plans were ready to commence. Soon, his hands would once again be stained with blood and no amount of washing could remove the red taint or the metallic scent from them. He dropped the mask he had constructed more than a century ago and let his true feelings show. '_Just let me enjoy some peace_,' he silently begged any higher being who would listen to a sinner such as himself. '_Please give me some time to spend with the people who mean so much to me_.'

As if hearing his plea, another soft gust of cool wind blew. The young girl snuggled closer to the tall man in an attempt to stay warm. He carefully lifted her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her slim waist. With Toshi's head on his shoulder, Gin could smell the scent of vanilla and apples coming from the small girl. While he saw that the young girl was still ignorant of what she felt towards him, he knew exactly what he was feeling. He knew he had had grown fond of the little girl currently sleeping on him. She was one of the three people who didn't avoid him or make him feel like he was a villain just waiting to stab them in the back. Toshi was a mixture of Kira's timid nature and Rangiku's cheerful personality. Yet she still was something completely different from the two lieutenants due to her caring attitude and innocent trust.

He felt dirty. While he had killed innumerable hollows and several of his fellow shinigami in the line of duty, he had never felt guilt towards his actions. After all, he was merely doing his duty as a shinigami of Seireitei. Now, with a completely innocent girl with astounding potential in his arms, the weight of his sins seemed to be catching up to him. While the remorse was slowly crushing him, he would rather deal with it as long as Toshi was near him than rid himself of it without the presence of the innocent shinigami.

At the same time, Toshi also kept him from plunging into the abyss of depression and insanity without even knowing it. Over the decades, Gin spent more time with Toshi. He watched her, teased her and spoke with her about random things that would have confused or bored others however she stayed with him through all that. She truly enjoyed her time with him and he did as well. One day, he realized that he had fallen for the young girl.

He had stayed up for countless nights thinking about his attachment towards the third seat. He knew he loved her but that in itself was an offense. While actually around the age of sixty, she barely looked in her teens and was still more innocent than her looks implied. Although he had no qualms in committing sins, he did not want to hurt the sweet little girl who unknowingly captured and began healing his withering heart. Going through with Soutaicho's plan on seemingly double crossing Seireitei to receive more information from Aizen would hurt both himself and the three people he came to see as his loved ones. Unfortunately, it had to be done and no one else would be able to do it except him.

The sky darkened, signifying the end of another day. Gin carried the tiny girl in his arms as he made his way to the Tenth Division. He took great care in avoiding people as it would be troublesome for everyone should they be seen in their position. All the while, Toshi stayed oblivious to what was happening, perfectly content in the arms of a killer.

They reached their destination far too soon, in his opinion. Gin softly kicked the office doors of the Tenth Division as his hands were full. Seconds later, a young boy with similar features as the girl in his arms opened the door with obvious desperation and worry. Angry teal eyes met his nearly closed eyes when the boy realized just what he was seeing. "What did you do to her, Ichimaru?" he growled at him. In his eyes, he saw his vulnerable sister in the arms of the most untrustworthy person in Soul Society. If not for the firm yet calming hand of his lieutenant on his shoulder, he knew that the he would attack the silver-haired captain.

"Gin, did something happen to her?" Rangiku asked, cautiously keeping an eye on the young boy in front of her. Not once did she think her captain would hurt anyone who didn't deserve it but with Tōshirō on the war path against the person who was possibly interested in his little sister, she had to make sure that her childhood friend didn't get maimed.

Gin mentally thanked the busty redhead for keeping the protective twin brother from killing him. "I was walkin' 'round when I saw Toshi-chan sleepin' on a bench. I knew Shiro-kun would get worried 'bout her so I brought her here."

Tōshirō felt his vice-captain's grip tighten in warning. While he could order his vice-captain to remove her hand, he was also grateful for it as it reminded him that it was against the laws of Seireitei to attack a fellow shinigami outside of training. He and glared at the taller man. "It's Hitsugaya. Don't address my sister or myself so familiarly, Ichimaru," said the boy while trying not to verbally lash out at the foxy-eyed captain without reason.

Of all his fellow captains, the one before him was the one that he hated the most. Nearly everyone in Seireitei was wary of the constantly smirking captain. He could understand why Matsumoto and Izuru liked him as he had saved their lives in the past but he didn't know why his sister liked him so much (2). He knew Toshi was a good judge of character, much better than himself in fact, and wanted to believe she knew what she was doing concerning Ichimaru. However, he didn't trust the older man to make him a cup of tea without poisoning it. For now, he'd accept the Third Division captain's story and calmed down.

Seeing as her captain wasn't going to tear her friend apart at the moment, Rangiku let go of his shoulder and took Toshi from Gin. "I'll take Toshi-chan to her room, Taicho," she said with forced cheeriness. She left the office; Rangiku liked her captain well enough but he was just plain scary when he got mad. She doubted she could put a scratch on the tension in the room with Haineko.

The redhead sighed and Toshi shifted in her arms. Rangiku stiffened when the little girl murmured Gin's name, his given name (3). To her knowledge, only she and Kira were allowed to call him that (Kira only doing so when off duty) and Toshi was too respectful to call someone by their first name without permission. As she entered the little girl's room, she though of how happy and afraid she was for her friend. She was happy because her constantly smiling friend was opening up to another person. Yet she was also afraid for him because said person had a far too protective older brother with attachment issues and the strongest ice-based zanpakutou in Seireitei. If she didn't know any better, Rangiku would have thought that someone with a weird sense of humor and a secret liking for drama was writing Gin's story out of amusement (4). Shaking her head, the vice-captain tucked Toshi in and hoped there was going to be no bloodshed when she returned to the office.

* * *

Back in the office, everything was ominously quiet after Tōshirō grudgingly thanked Gin for bringing his sister back. Gin pretended to ignore the stressed atmosphere as he observed the boy captain. He was an inch or two shorter than his sister due to their biological development but it was barely noticeable due to the brother's elevated hairstyle. Tōshirō had the same eyes as Toshi but were extremely different due to the glare that was being sent to him. His overall presence was also quite different from the relaxed aura Gin was used to with Toshi but he, like every other person in Seireitei, had very little trust in the Third Division captain.

Tōshirō's steely glare bore into the unaffected man. "If you have no other business here, Ichimaru, I ask you to leave so I may return to work," he said with a clipped tone. The older bid him farewell in his mocking tone and left. He didn't like how close Toshi and Gin were becoming and while he knew his twin could take care of herself, he couldn't help but worry. He grumbled as he returned to his desk.

Moments later, his lieutenant came back with some tea. "Here you go, Taicho," she said cheerfully. She set down a cup near the few documents that he had yet to work on. Seeing as her captain was still frustrated, she decided to lighten the mood. "It's a good thing Toshi's alright, ne, Taicho?"

The green-eyed captain grunted. She could see that he was still tense but beginning to relax. Switching tactics, she continued, "Toshi looked absolutely adorable in Gin's arms and Gin was so nice to bring her all the way here. It's really cute that they're getting along so well. I wouldn't be surprised if he liked her at all..."

Tōshirō had been steadily acquiring red vein marks as Rangiku rambled on. When he heard her last comment however, he lost his temper. "MATSUMOTO!!!"

Despite having her captain angry at her, the well-endowed woman couldn't help but think, '_Mission accomplished_.'

* * *

Hope you all liked it. I'll be working on Right of the Fallen after my midterms so expect it to be up... in around two months or so. Thanks again for reading my stories! ^-^

Glossary:

-kun: informal honorific used towards males

Akaruyami: Toshi's zanpakutou; the name is further divided into Akaru (bright) and Yami (darkness) for the two spirits of the zanpakutou

Chibi: a child-like character with exaggerated features; a style of cartooning in which the characters are drawn to be very small and cute; used to refer to a short person or a child

Daijobu: It's alright.

Fukutaicho: vice-captain or lieutenant

Mou: what one says when annoyed, insulted, surprised, scared, etc.

Ne: indicates that the speaker wants the listener to agree or confirm

Ohayou gozaimasu: good morning; "Ohayou" is a more casual greeting.

Sake: rice wine

Notes:

(1) Since Tōshirō is really sho…vertically-challenged, Rangiku can't read over his shoulder without squatting so I made her read over his head.

(2) Toshi didn't tell him how she met Gin since he'd pick a fight with the guys who tried to rob her.

(3) In Japan, you can only call someone by their first name if you're close to them, know them for a long time or if they give permission to do so.

(4) I couldn't resist adding that.


	3. Chapter 3

I'll be concentrating on Right of the Fallen more since not very many people seem to like this story. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning it. I just happen to have a more stable foundation to build on with Right of the Fallen than in Left Out.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's not much but I hope you guys like it anyway.

* * *

Chapter 2: Images of a Girl

Gin stretched his jaw to get rid of the stinging of his cheeks. He supposed he now owed Aizen for making sure that no one was near the Western Gate so he could get rid of the impossibly wide smile for the moment. Besides the fact that he had to act like the sneaky conniving bastard he could occasionally be all the damn time, the one thing he hated about his situation was the freaky grin he had to have on his face. The only time when he could drop the freaky grin was when he was alone with the three people who had come to be his friends… and the old man of the First Division and the stoic Sixth Division captain but he didn't really count since it's not like they were friends or anything. Thankfully, what Aizen didn't know wouldn't hurt his feelings since there was no chance in hell he was thanking the bespectacled beaming bastard, though the silver-haired captain idly wondered, '_Would I even care if said bastard's feelings were hurt_?' He thought about it for a bit before deciding that he wouldn't care even if a white elephant wearing a pink tutu fell on the Fifth Division captain. Hell, he'd probably just bring some snacks and watch as the elephant pirouettes right on top of the deceiving bastard.

He frowned as he made his way to the gate. Aizen had told him that Rukia's little friends would be arriving in Jun'rinan today and he had to play his part in getting them to make a loud and flashy entrance. He was able to send a message to the old First Division captain, as well as Kuchiki, before he had to head out to 'attend to some expected pawns,' as the manipulative brunette had put it. He had heard about one of the ryoka from the last captains' meeting and wondered what kind of person he was. Using what he recalled in Kuchiki's report, he imagined an impulsive hothead with a stubborn and altruistic attitude.

He stood in front of the massive gate where he could hear the giant gatekeeper sobbing his head off. From what he could make out, the gatekeeper's zanpakutou had been broken but was more upset that he had lost as a man…whatever the hell that meant. After what seemed like hours because of the splitting headache he had developed because of the giant's crying, the gate started to rise. No matter how many times he had seen it, he was always left impressed by Jidanbou's brute strength; to be able to lift the enormous and heavy gate was a remarkable feat. He sighed as he replaced his mask and hoped that this encounter would be finished quickly. He had to report to both Aizen and Yamamoto-soutaicho after all.

The gate was finally fully open and the first thing he noticed was the bright orange hair of a teenager wearing a shihakushou. He could immediately tell that his personality was exactly how he had imagined and then some. He mentally shook his head to clear his mind. '_Show time_,' he thought with a hint of bitterness. As an afterthought, he silently apologized for what he was about to do to Jidanbō. He was confused at that as he had never felt the need to apologize to anyone, not even Kira or Rangiku. His mind subconsciously brought up the image of a certain little girl with bright green eyes as if to answer him before he shook it away. '_I'll think about it later_,' he thought before mockingly addressing the two in front of him. "Ah, that ain't right." In a motion none detected, he attacked the gatekeeper.

As he dealt with the ryoka and watched as the gate fell back down at an alarming rate, he stooped down and waved goodbye to them in his usual mocking way. He really hoped that the boy and his friends could stop Aizen before his plan falls through but he knew that the man was much stronger than anyone gave him credit; he was probably on par with Yamamoto-soutaicho.

However, the silver-haired captain couldn't shake the feeling that there was more than meets the eye in regards with the boy who introduced himself as Kurosaki Ichigo. He looked a bit like someone he knew years ago but he couldn't really be sure if the berry-head and the man he knew were really related or not. He sighed as he made his way back to the inner portion of Seireitei where he was sure to meet headache after headache.

* * *

'_She's getting more restless_,' the young captain though as he watched his Third Seat fidget once again. The boy captain furrowed his brow in worry. Toshi was much more sensitive to people and situations than he was thus he tended to trust her advice and instincts. Right now, experience and his own intuition was saying that Toshi had a bad feeling about the powerful reiatsu that was sensed a while ago followed by that of Ichimaru's and a load of shit was about to happen. The only reason he did not go to investigate it himself was because of orders he received from his superiors.

The unknown reiatsu was strange as it held a slight yet distinct feeling of that of a hollow but was predominantly that of a shinigami's. The most recent significant event that could be connected to the strange reiatsu would be the return and detainment of Kuchiki Rukia a week ago. Kuchiki-taicho reported that the human who received the rogue shinigami's powers had been dealt with, along with a witness who was an acquaintance of both. With Rukia's execution, everything would be solved and the rest of Seireitei can go on with their normal duties. However, Tōshirō himself had doubts about the fairness of the verdict.

His thoughts turned darker as he recalled his own experience with the judicial organization of Seireitei, Central 46. He tightened his grip on his brush, regret and sadness coiling around his heart like a serpent. He breathed in deeply yet silently in order not to gain notice from the other two in the room. He slowly expelled the trapped air as his partner, Hyōrinmaru, spoke to him in his deep yet soothing voice. "Now is not the time to reminisce about what is better of buried, young master."

Agreeing with the mighty ice dragon, the young captain put his brush down and glanced around the Tenth Division office. Matsumoto was, surprisingly, also at her desk doing her own paperwork. Not surprisingly, the few papers she had finished with were dwarfed by the numerous towers of untouched documents. His twin was at her own station near the door, putting aside her finished work. While she seemed focused on the task at hand, Tōshirō could see her redder than normal lower lip, evidence that she had been chewing on it in worry. He shook his head, trying to gather the concentration needed to continue with his own paperwork.

As he reached for another document, Toshi called to him and Matsumoto. Turning to her once more, he saw a jigokuchō lightly flutter to the pale girl's waiting fingertip. It telepathically sent its message to the third seat. "Ryoka were spotted in Jun'rinan and have defeated the gatekeeper," she recited dutifully. "They were intercepted by Ichimaru-taicho. Captains are to meet in the First Division conference room with vice-captains on stand-by for Ichimaru-taicho's report on the matter." The winged insect left soon after the orders were relayed by the young Third Seat.

The mentioned officers took their leave but not before saying goodbye to their colleague and receiving reminders not to antagonize (Tōshirō) or excessively tease (Matsumoto) others. The boy captain's mind raced through theories on who would be brave, reckless and/or stupid enough to try to break into a walled city with a giant gatekeeper, both of which clearly say enter at your own risk. However, while he more or less knew that it somehow involved Rukia, a small part of his brain, suspiciously sounding like his little sister, told him to keep that bit of information to himself. He mentally groaned at not only keeping information from the other captains but also at the fact that he had to attend yet another captains' meeting. He not only felt incredibly annoyed from listening to 'adults' such as Zaraki after such meetings but also unnerved as he had to stand next to the Twelfth division captain and resident mad scientist, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who still looked at him like a specimen that he so badly wanted to experiment on after all these years just because he had unusually large reiryoku for his age.

* * *

Ishida Uryū checked on his… friend once more as he trained to form a cannonball with the reisyukaku. From the loud and annoyed grunts and odd screams, Kurosaki still had a long way to go. He sighed as he headed up the stairs to get outside and get some fresh air. Normally, he would have gone inside to either make a sarcastic comment on Kurosaki's incompetence or rub it in his classmate's face that he was better than him but he wasn't really in the mood and the orange-haired shinigami needed to concentrate… just as he would when they enter Seireitei.

As far as his comrades knew, he had a vendetta against all shinigami. However, there was one that did not deserve his ire. When he told Kurosaki what had happened to the Quincies and, more importantly, his grandfather, he left out an important detail: the arrival of a young female shinigami with long white hair. She couldn't have been more than a few years older than him at that time but he knew shinigami were generally much older than they looked. He refused to admit, even to himself, that the reason why he kept her involvement a secret from the substitute shinigami was because his heart pounded loudly whenever he thought about her. He was just a child back then and merely thought that he was just in awe of her but now he knew better. As he walked around the Shiba Clan house, he got lost in the painful memory of the day he started down his path.

_From his hiding place, Uryū saw the entire one-sided fight. Ishida Sōken was attacked by no less than ten oddly strong hollows. Though he was a highly skilled archer and a great Quincy and they were already somewhat wounded, time was not kind to the oldest surviving Quincy. Age weighed heavily on the bespectacled man's shoulders; he was only able to destroy two of them before they got too close to shoo with his bow and arrows. As a bear-like hollow's claws came close to hacking off his grandfather's arm, a dark whip-like object sped in front of Sensei, effectively trapping it before it somehow cut through the hollow's wrist. The other hollows were also distracted by the odd weapon._

_The shadowy whip dissipated before a shout came from the trees to the right of the masked beings, followed by a several beams of what appeared to be solidified white light. Two of the hollows were purified while the other six received wounds that should slow them down and make them more cautious about attacking. All present turned and saw a seriously injured girl supporting herself against a tree. Blood stained her white hair and streamed down her face while she tried to staunch the blood flow on her side with her left hand. She wore miss-matched silk gloves; on the left was a black glove lined with red while what could be seen of the right that was not covered in blood was white with a bit of blue. Her breathing was harsh yet her deep green eyes shined with determination._

_She pushed off from the tree and clumsily steadied herself. She started to run towards the hollows with her right hand trailing behind her, not minding that her blood was making her shihakushuo darker than it already was. Knowing they would not be able to feed peacefully with the little shinigami capable of fight despite her injuries, the hollows focused their attention on her. As the foolish bear hollow charged towards her, she swung her left hand and the dark whip materialized after her swing. She made quick work of the attacking hollow and sent more beams of light with her right hand. As the attack was expected and slower than the first, the lost souls easily evaded the rays of light. Though she missed, she was able to distract the hollows long enough to slip to the aged Quincy's side, which was her intention all along. _

_She held her gloved hands in front of her to prepare for any attack the hollows might throw at her. The little shinigami discreetly scanned the small clearing and assessed the situation quickly. "Qui-Quincy-san," she started with great effort. ""Please run." Grandfather and grandson were surprised that a shinigami was willingly protecting a Quincy, regardless of the odds and the injuries she was suffering from. _

_His grandfather planted his feet firmly on the ground and formed his bow once more. He shot at an approaching hollow, severely injuring it but not destroying it. "Gomenasai, little shinigami. I can not run when I see you fighting as hard as you can when you're injured."_

_She gave him a sincere though strained smile. "You can not or will not?" she asked. After warding off the other hollows with a low-level kidō, she put her hands in front of her, palms facing each other. Dark energy and light energy melded together and formed a kodachi with a pure white blade and a silver circular guard. The white-haired girl easily slid into a half-defensive stance despite her still bleeding injuries._

_Returning the smile, he replied, "A bit of both, I believe. Shouldn't you call for help in this case, shinigami-chan?" He knew that shinigami who come to the living world brought cell phone-like devices in case of emergencies. He shot an arrow towards a rushing hollow which avoided the glowing projectile easily._

_At this, the young girl purposely avoided his gaze and focused on the attacking hollows. "I've called for back-up when I spotted the group these hollows were in many times before coming here but no one responded." She blocked a swipe from one with her sword and pushed it back._

_Uryū knew that the shinigami was silently asking his grandfather to leave even though he could not see her face. The old Quincy gathered reishi and formed another arrow. "I shall fight by your side, little shinigami," he said with a tone of finality. In Uryū's opinion, they fought wonderfully. Like a well-coordinated dance, they supported and protected each other as if they had been fighting side by side for years. Uryū believed that this was what his grandfather and teacher had been striving for and it was beautiful. Together, they were able to destroy three more of the masked monsters._

_Unfortunately, one of the last two hollows snuck behind the old man. Seeing the danger the Quincy was in, the young shinigami threw herself in front of the hollow and took the attack meant for the Quincy, effectively knocking her out of the fight. The hollow was shot down soon after but the Quincy was again attacked from behind. After he took his dying breath, the hollow was slashed from behind. A pair of older-looking shinigami appeared in the clearing and one started to complain about being on 'Quincy duty.' _

_From behind the tree, Uryū heard every single insult aimed at his grandfather that was spouted as they put his slowly forming soul in a small urn. His blood heated in rage as he listened to what the crude shinigami said. He became even more enraged when he heard the same man express his interest in the petite girl. He might have been young but he understood the perverted words coming from the older man's mouth. If it was not for the other shinigami mentioning a captain gutting him for thinking such things, Uryū knew he would have tried to attack the pedophilic shinigami himself. He glared at his morally upright companion as he gently picked up the wounded girl._

_When he was alone with the cooling body of his teacher, he swore to become stronger to avenge his mentor and to find and protect the young shinigami just as she tried to do for his grandfather. That day, his hatred for all shinigami started to grow and fester; for all shinigami except, that is, for one little girl._

He absentmindedly thought with a sad smile, '_She must still look like a preteen even after all these years_.' He knew that he was merely chasing shadows, getting near what he wanted only to discover he can't hold on.

A deep voice disturbed his thoughts, "You should get some sleep." Uryū turned quickly, startled by the other's presence. He looked around frantically until he spotted a black cat with amber eyes. "Or at the very least not make yourself an obvious target in the dead of night while wearing those clothes," Yoruichi added with a smirk… if cat's can smirk. Uryū took a glance at his pure white Quincy outfit and saw that they did contrast greatly with the dark environment. He almost successfully hid his growing blush as he headed back in the Shiba Clan house.

Yoruichi sent a serious look towards the descending Quincy's back. She knew that he was powerful for his age and was a great tactician but he let his emotions drive him and that could prove deadly once they were in Seireitei. '_It's always the smart, quiet and broody ones that cause the most trouble_,' she thought to herself. A heavy pressure suddenly appeared from under her. She was sure it would have been detected all the way back to Seireitei had it not been for the barriers that Kūkaku puts up in order to avoid being detected by the shinigami. Sighing, she headed down the stairs. '_I stand corrected_,' she thought. '_The ones that make the most trouble are idiots with too much power to handle_.'

* * *

Glossary: Gomenasai: I'm sorry

Jigokuchō: completely black butterflies that serve various purposes

Kidō: spells that Shinigami use

Reishi: the fundamental particles which make up all spiritual things

Reisyukaku: Spirit core; orb that forms a cannonball when

Ryoka: term the Gotei 13 use to for trespassers


	4. Chapter 4

I know it's been a really long while since I last updated any of my stories but my workload is getting unmanageable since it's my last year of college. I'm really sorry for taking so long with them so I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 3: Suspicions

Toshi cautiously snuck out of her division as soon as she determined that the night patrol had left the area. She knew that she shouldn't even be sneaking out but she had felt an odd reiatsu some time ago. Better judgment told her that she should have informed her brother but, not only did the spirits of her zanpakutou insist that she do otherwise, she also felt a sense of familiarity coming from the reiatsu hiding somewhere near the Twelfth Division. It had been a little more than ten years since she last felt reiatsu similar to this one and she couldn't help but think about the old Quincy she wasn't able to save. '_Is a member from your clan here for revenge, Quincy-san_?' she asked the spirit of her one-time comrade.

She had woken up in the Fourth Division nearly a week after that failed assignment and learned that the Quincy she fought beside had died. Yamamoto had forbidden her from finding the old Quincy; he, like most shinigami, had an intense dislike for the human clan and did not want one of his soldiers to form any ties with them unless it was absolutely necessary. She was not even given the man's name so she could pray for his soul's safety. (1)

With Central 46 backing him, there was little that she could do. Though she should just be thankful that the old shinigami captain and the members of the judiciary organization did not punish her for aiding a Quincy, it did not keep her for grieving for the kindly human. She trained hard, slowly increasing her strength. She never wanted to feel that kind of helplessness again. Or rather, she didn't want anyone to die in front of her because she was too weak to guard their back.

She made certain to avoid the other shinigami who passed through the corridors. Everyone knew how overprotective Tōshirō was of her and she couldn't risk having them tell him of her late night excursion. Her peace of mind would not let her leave this alone if it was a Quincy. '_But still_,' she thought to herself. '_Why would a Quincy who has every right to hate shinigami come to Seireitei_?' It's highly possible that the archer was with the ryoka who could be after Kuchiki but that led to even more questions. It is also possible that he was using the other party as a distraction while he avenged the gray-haired marksman.

As she was about to round a corner, a large calloused hand grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back. She was unable to hold back a soft cry of surprise and pain. She gritted her teeth and took an unsteady breath, waiting for whoever caught her to speak. "What's this?" a slightly amused voice said. It had a mechanical quality to it that made it all the more disturbing. Even without looking, Toshi knew that it was the captain of the Twelfth Division, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. They had never formally met before yet whenever they were in the same general area, the young girl could feel his hungry gaze on her. Knowing the sadistic researcher, he wanted to make her a new toy for his laboratory.

The grip on her wrist tightened and Toshi hissed in pain. "I-I…" She swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. "M-My apologies for roaming around, Kurotsuchi-taicho." She shut her eyes tightly; she was beginning to lose feeling inn her right arm but she could feel the strain the tyrannical captain was putting on her shoulder. He was about to wave off her apology like it was nothing but appeared to have thought of something.

She tensed up when the mad scientist started chuckling. "It is fortunate that you came by, Hitsugaya-chan," the odd-looking captain told her. Toshi's free hand was clenched into a fist to keep it from shaking in fright too much. The captain's tone had not changed from his usual drawl yet it carried a more dangerous air to it as Kurotsuchi steered her to the gate of the division. "I need a test subject who has a high level of reiatsu for an experiment that could assist us with occasions such as this. Unfortunately, no one in my division is powerful enough so I have been unable to proceed with it. Your power level, however, is within what I require and," the deranged scientist continued, "your skills in tracing reiatsu will be most beneficial."

Toshi wanted to struggle so much but terror clouded her mind. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage; his ill intent practically strangling her. "_Toshi!_" both Akaru and Yami cried. One of the captains that the zanpakutou couldn't stand was going to hurt their little mistress and they wouldn't stand for it. They knew that Toshi could defeat the insane captain in a fair fight even without their help since she was about as strong as her brother. Despite that fact though, she still had relative trouble in defying those in authority and she was still reluctant to engage someone in a fight without a valid reason. Unfortunately a valid reason constitutes to protecting others and not herself for the young shinigami. Yami frantically told her to run away while Akaru basically yelled to kick his ass (2) in less crude terms but their screams fell on deaf ears as the two shinigami started to enter the notorious division.

A heavy presence lingered in the air and stopped Kurotsuchi from steering the white-haired girl into his lair. "What is going on here, Kurotsuchi?" The said captain looked over his shoulder and found his fellow captain giving him a displeased look. The flawless white of his haori seemed to glow in the dark surroundings while the little light present cast a glare on his glasses. Kurotsuchi glared at the taller man before cursing under his breath.

"Nothing that should concern you, Aizen-taicho," he said with a slightly respectful voice. He knew that he was the weakest of all the captains combat-wise and was barely tolerated by his colleagues. He reasoned that it would not do to tread on the toes of another more powerful and highly respected one. "Hitsugaya-chan merely volunteered herself for an experiment but it seems she is a bit anxious about it." He squeezed the captured wrist to the point of breaking it as if the girl's fear was not enough to keep her from contributing to the conversation.

The look of displeasure turned into a glare at the obvious lie. "Be that as it may, Kurotsuchi," Aizen started coldly, "it is far too late at night for such things and Hitsugaya-chan hardly seems capable in assist you with your experiment when she is close to having a panic attack." He walked closer to the pair and gently pried the disturbingly pale white hand from Toshi's bruised wrist. "If there is nothing else you need, Kurotsuchi, I shall see Hitsugaya-chan back to her division." With that, he left the silently fuming captain guiding the hyperventilating young girl away from the other captain.

Once they were far enough away from the Twelfth Division captain, Toshi began to calm down. "Thank you for saving me, Aizen-taicho," she said sincerely and respectfully. Now while she was grateful towards the charismatic man in front of her, she still can't find it in herself to trust him. His dark aura made her feel slightly ill. It was then that she noticed that despite being it late at night, the captain escorting her back to her division was walking around without a light. Also, the Fifth Division was quite far from the Twelfth. Taking a breath, she spoke, "Aizen-taicho, why were you walking around so late at night?"

Aizen raised an eyebrow and gave the girl a charming smile. She kept herself from cringing at that smile; something about it seemed hypocritical and caused a shiver to travel down her spine. While she normally had a kind smile ready for most people, she simply could not give a sincere one to the captain who had just helped her mere minutes ago. "I was having a bit of difficulty sleeping so I thought a walk would help. I was also a bit worried about those ryoka since they could cause more problems for us. There was also the arrest of Abarai-kun for being unable to defeat one of the ryoka" She politely nodded but made no comment as to whether she believed his reasons or not. "Why were you wandering around, Hitsugaya-chan?" he asked. "Your brother would be worried if he found out that you were alone when we have been invaded by potentially dangerous outsiders."

She slightly narrowed her eyes at the question. '_Why does it seem like he's trying to shift the attention to me_?' the third Seat wondered. She was wary of the captain; she made that clear to everyone if not her reasons for it. However, she saw no harm in answering him as truthfully as he answered her. "I was trying to see if I could sense any of the ryoka since only a few people would be out at this time of night." When he asked if she had any luck, she told him that her encounter with Kurotsuchi shook her too much to follow any foreign signatures that she might have found. A subtle tension hung in the air and seemed to grow as they continued on in silence. Both were conscious of it but neither one knew how to lessen the awkward silence. Deciding to test the waters, the bright-eyed girl initiated a conversation. "Aizen-taicho, what do you think about the ryoka?"

The bespectacled captain thought for a while. "It's possible that someone had them break into Seireitei for some reason. They must be skilled to be able to defeat most of the Eleventh Division as well as one of our vice-captains. Though, I must admit that it would not take much to outwit many in that division."

Toshi glared at the brunette captain. "I would appreciate it if you would not insult the members of my former division, Aizen-taicho," she said defensively. While she was no longer part of the Eleventh Division, she was still close to many there and she would not tolerate anyone badmouthing them no matter what their rank was. "I assure you that while they are more focused with the physical aspect of combat than the strategies involved, they are quick-witted and decisive in combat."

Sōsuke regarded the small girl walking with him as he gave an apology he did not mean. For some reason, he couldn't seem to gain her trust when everyone else had freely given theirs. Not even the praises from his lieutenant could sway the intelligent girl. He found her quite frustrating yet interesting as she shared the same intuition as his old captain. He inwardly smirked. '_It hardly matters_,' he thought. '_She's just a Third Seat and has no pull in Gotei 13 despite her connections_.' Toshi nodded at his statement. "Why do you think they are here, Hitsugaya-chan?" Even though he thought very little of the girl, he would rather not leave any loose ends.

"I have a few ideas but I'd rather be certain before I share them with anyone." Aizen nodded but caught the slightly suspicious look that was sent to him. He frowned and decided she would just be another loose end that he would have to deal with in the near future. In any case, Gin was becoming a bit too close to the girl for his liking. He immediately waved the idea away; Gin had been loyal to him for more than a century. It was doubtful that he would betray him for a slip of a girl. After all, the pale man had proven his loyalty time and again and, in return, he was giving Gin the chance to become a god.

When they reached the Tenth Division, Hitsugaya thanked him once again for saving her and invited him for something to drink. He graciously refused and said he must be on his way to his own division. "_Hitsugaya Toshi_,' he thought to himself as a smug grin formed on his lips, '_I'll have you in my web yet_…'

* * *

Toshi woke up bright and early the next day feeling only slightly tired from her unsuccessful late night. She would have gone back out but common sense told her that Tōshirō would know she was up to something last night if she was any more tired. Thankfully, she could just brush of her fatigue as an uneasy night. She was helping her brother prepare for the meeting that would be held in a bit when both siblings felt the erratic pattern of Momo's reiatsu.

Tōshirō gave her a look which she answered with a nod. They used shunpo to get to the courtyard where they felt the disturbance. '_What is going on?_' she couldn't help but think as she saw their friend call out her zanpakutou and caused an explosion. Izuru and Momo yelled at each other for a bit before she released yet another fireball towards the Third Division lieutenant, who easily sidestepped the attack. Without the need to say anything, Tōshirō let her handle the wayward attack while he dealt with Momo and Izuru. She quickly performed Danku to block the destructive fireball from Momo's zanpakutou. The attack from Tobiume hit the see-through wall and caused a loud explosion and a large cloud of smoke. Dying embers floated harmlessly in the air before settling down on the wooden floor. The resulting shockwave however, disoriented many of those present.

Despite the smoke, she quickly noticed the dark red streak on the floor; she had seen blood more than enough times not to mistake it for anything else. Looking up, she was horrified to see the desecrated body of Aizen. She might not like the man but no one deserved to die in such a way. Most of the vice-captains were picking themselves up and trying to stamp out the embers while some were simply shocked at Momo's behavior as they knew her to be a sweet and sensible person. Lastly, she saw Gin off to the side smirking evilly at the scene yet she felt no malice from the man. She heard her brother order the other lieutenants to restrain both Izuru and Momo and her dark-haired friend screaming that Gin killed Aizen. She should be worried about the girl's mania for her captain but was more concerned about her older friend who pretended not to see her. "Toshi!" her brother called for her. He was in captain mode right now so the young girl knew she had to follow orders. "Alert the Fourth Division of this and have them get Aizen's body down from there. Also report this to the First Division." As Toshi left to comply, she cast a troubled look over her shoulder.

Tōshirō watched his sister jump from one rooftop to another. He knew that she and Ichimaru were getting close and, while he didn't want to control her life, there was no chance he would let the scheming silver-haired captain hurt her if he had any say about it. Likewise, he would protect Momo since she was basically his older sister figure despite how childish she could be. He sheathed his sword and turned to the man. The squinting captain apologized for Izuru's actions but he didn't acknowledge it.

"Were you planning on killing Hinamori?" he asked in a frigid tone. He disliked the man just like many in Seireitei but right now, he felt hatred stir for the older shinigami. "I'll tell you this now, if Hinamori or Toshi shed even a single drop of blood or are hurt in any way, I'll kill you."

Ichimaru gave the boy genius a wide grin. "Whatta terrifyin' thin' ta say. If ya feel tha' way, chibi-taicho," he began, seemingly taking pleasure in the irritated look on the colleague's face. "Make sure not ta let any bad guys get close to 'em." With that, he walked away with the silent unnatural grace years of dancing around the battlefield brought.

'_As if I could hurt Toshi_...' he thought to himself. The boy genius didn't get that nickname just because he was one of the few people to graduate the academy in such a short time; Hitsugaya was highly intelligent, insightful and responsible. Best of all, most people underestimated him because he was very young for a shinigami and he still looked like a teenager. A few hints here and there and he would be able to figure nearly everything out without too many people getting apprehensive. How Gin longed to give him Aizen's dirty little secrets just to watch the boy follow the proverbial breadcrumbs leading to the real enemy but it was still far too early for that.

He shook his head to get rid of such tempting thoughts. Instead, he focused on the look Toshi had given him. He never thought that she would jump into the hostility but in hindsight, he should have expected it because of her tracing skills and protectiveness. In any case, the way she looked at him wasn't wary or disbelieving, instead, it was full of concern for him. '_I think I would have faired better if she started hating me like everyone else..._ _At least then_ _I don't have to worry about what she's going to go through when I leave_,' he thought, depressed that he had worried the girl he loved. Not only that, but he knew that he had just made it much more difficult to get along with her brother.

He reminded himself that it had to be done. Aizen had already gathered a significant number of evolved hollows called arrancar before he had learned of it from the self-proclaimed god. The few he had observed were incredibly powerful and would pose a threat to Seireitei even without being exposed to the Hōgyoku. Until he can determine who is loyal to Aizen and who is simply there just for the hell of it and how to neutralize those who are loyal, there was nothing he could do other than continue his mission.

He raked a hand through silver locks in frustration and fully opened his eyes, putting up with the glare reflected from the pristine walls. What could be seen in his eyes was a myriad of emotions. Sorrow, shame, worry and regret - they could be seen in his dark red eyes so clearly that those who were wary of him would wonder if this was the same shinigami who put them on edge on purpose. That was the reason why he always kept people from seeing his eyes; they were the only part of him that betrayed the irritating bastard reputation he had built around himself. Not even Rangiku and Kira had seen his eyes and they were his closest friends.

He paused at that thought; someone had seen his eyes, at least partially. He recalled the day he had given Toshi the barrette. They were so close so Gin had no doubt that she saw his eyes. He had opened his eyes a bit wider to be able to see her face more clearly. The sun was just starting to set and the orange hue made her beautiful white hair glow. The brilliant blush matched the color her full lips that must be soft to the touch. Shinsō knew how much he wanted to drag his thumb over them but had reminded him to restrain himself. Reluctantly, he did as his partner recommended, knowing that the zanpakutou also wanted him to be with the young girl. He smiled at that memory before shaking his head as he made his way through Seireitei.

Unknown to him, his very own zanpakutou was insulting him for being a 'stupid love sick pedophile.'

* * *

(1) Even though they're already dead, I think some would still hold on to their religion.

(2) Yin is the more reserved part of the Taijitu (Yin-yang symbol) while yang is the more aggressive part. AkaruYami, being a balance-based zanpakutou, follows the concept of yin-yang.

Arrancar: hollows whose masks are almost completely removed and gained shinigami-like powers

Bakudō: binding spell; defensive and/or supplementary in nature

Hōgyoku: Orb of Distortion; unique substance in the form of a small, spherical stone

Shunpo: flash step; movement technique that allows one to move really fast

Kidō List

Danku: Bakudō 81; creates an energy barrier in the form of a tall transparent wall


	5. Chapter 5

Okay… This is late beyond all reason so I can't really give any excuses. I'll be working on Right of the fallen after this.

On with the story!

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Chapter 5: Start of Conflict

Toshi has just left the First Division when she decided to return to her division. She knew her brother would be in charge of investigating Aizen's murder and Rangiku would be with him. As the third seat, it was her job to take charge of the division until they get back. She let her feet take her to where she was needed while she thought things over. This time, it was not about the ryoka or the possibility of a Quincy in Seireitei but about the events of the night before and earlier this morning.

'_What happened after Aizen-taicho left the Tenth Division_?' she wondered. The blood had been fairly fresh so Momo probably found the deceased captain a few hours after he died. Still, she did not recall feeling any disturbances that night and Aizen was a very powerful shinigami so a fight between him and his attacker would have alerted patrolling shinigami and the captains. '_Is there a traitor in Seireitei_?' It was the only explanation she could think of as she doubted that Aizen would lower his guard around hostile and possibly dangerous ryoka. Also, the fact that the ryoka had been reported to simply defeat and incapacitate their opponents instead of killing them should be taken into account.

There was also the fact that Gin acted strangely when he saw what the commotion Momo made was about. She knew that he was Aizen's former lieutenant; normally, people would be horrified at facing that kind of situation and it would be much more traumatic if they had some relation to the victim. However, Gin simply stood there with that odd grin on his face like he was taunting everyone present. Toshi would be quick to pin the blame on Gin as well but she was aware of two things that made her hesitant to do so. The first was that she knew that the silver-haired captain always acted that way in public. While it would be the strongest thing that would incriminate him, it was also his strongest defense. Had he really killed the other man, he would at least try to act like he was shocked instead of making himself more suspicious by provoking everyone with that grin. The second was that she felt many things from the silver-haired man despite his outwardly calm disposition but neither malice nor smugness was present. The girl noticed that there was much displeasure but it seemed to be focused on himself than at the others present.

She stopped walking and massaged her temples to stave off an oncoming headache. Akaru and Yami were silent and she knew they were contemplating about the turn of events as well. Things were getting far too complicated and she knew that giving her opinions to her brother would just make investigating the matter that much more difficult for him. She continued on her way once she composed herself.

As expected with the recent turn of events, the Tenth Division shinigami were running around in panic as they tried to get confirmation of the murder of the Fifth Division captain while the fourth seat was trying to calm everyone down. She immediately took charge of the situation. "Everyone!" The shinigami quieted down almost immediately. "What you've all heard is unfortunately true. Right now, Taicho is investigating Aizen-taicho's murder. I want seated officers six to nine to inspect the area where his body was found and seated officers ten to twelve to assist Taicho and Matsumoto-fukutaicho while he inspects the Fifth Division quarters. I want a group of unseated officers under the fifth seat to patrol the rest of our division in case the ryoka are involved with the situation and are hiding within the area. Everyone else is to go about their usual tasks."

"Toshi-san, you don't think that the ryoka killed Aizen-taicho?" one of the new division members asked.

The young woman immediately answered. "We can't rule out the possibility but according to the reports, the ryoka have yet to be witnessed killing their opponents. For now, everyone is to stay alert and advised not to go anywhere alone. That is all." The gathered shinigami scattered to do as they were told.

* * *

Momo was torn between clutching the edges of the piece of paper in her hands tightly and handling it gently like it was made of the finest silk. The letter her captain addressed to her stated that something was most definitely wrong in Seireitei. She too knew that things were chaotic and have been since one of the shinigami from the Thirteenth Division failed to report back regularly. However, the letter stated that Aizen suspected that the masterminds of the events surrounding the odd happenings in Seireitei were close to accomplishing their goals, whatever they may be. Worse was the fact that he suspected that her childhood friends and siblings were behind everything.

The usually timid girl wanted to believe that Aizen was telling the truth as he meant the world to her. The shock of what she saw was now gone but the lifeless eyes that stared down at her would forever be engraved in her mind. Her captain was an intelligent man and he couldn't have made a mistake by accusing Tōshirō and Toshi without proof.

However, she grew up with the twins and knew that they would never do anything to hurt those around them for their own personal gain. The Fifth Division lieutenant knew them well and adored the white-haired children as if they really were her siblings. Also, they swore to protect Soul Society when they graduated from the academy and their sense of justice would not let them break such an important vow.

'_There must be someone making them go against Seireitei_,' she thought. She would admit that they were not the most liked people in Junrin'an because many of the people there were highly superstitious and saw their pale coloring as an ill omen but they had many friends in Seireitei itself… Well, at least her sister did and she knows her Shiro-chan wouldn't do anything to make her and his twin sad.

She breathed deeply as she tried to calm her frayed nerves. Aizen was the ideal captain, in her opinion. Most of the other captains liked him and he was respectful to everyone regardless of their rank. He did his paperwork and still found time to train and encourage everyone in the division to do their best. The twins were also strong and had the loyalty of many because of their mature personalities, insights and work ethics. However, they could probably be swayed to go against Seireitei if given the right motivation.

'_Is it possible that someone is jealous of Aizen-taicho enough to want to kill him? The twins are still very young but are already powerful so whoever killed Taicho must want their power too_.' She knew that others thought she was too naïve and dependent to be a lieutenant but even she knew that someone as influential and powerful as Aizen would have enemies for one reason or another. He was strong but loyal to Gotei 13 so his killer would want him out of the way. She thought back to when she found her captain pinned to the wall with his own zanpakutou. She saw Ichimaru looking pleased and she knew the ever-smirking captain was behind everything. With her rationale in place and close to her heart, she made plans to avenge her beloved captain and deal with the traitor. If Tōshirō and Toshi intended to betray them and get in her way, then she would deal with them as if they were any other traitors.

Momo bided her time, waiting for a good opportunity. She could escape her cell with little trouble thanks to her mastery in Kidō. She knew she would most probably be hunted down and detained in a more secure location if she was caught. She shoved those thoughts aside; she could not afford any distractions at the moment. Right now, she had to plan how to confront the twins and avenge her beloved captain.

* * *

Kenpachi was scowling as he ran through the streets of Seireitei. Thoughts of the upcoming battle with one of the ryoka were at the forefront of his mind but he first had to find him. "Ken-chan, turn right!" He glanced at the young pink-haired girl clinging to his shoulder. Yachiru was giving him directions as usual and so far, they ran into 87 dead-ends, passed by several divisions at least five times and that was just this morning.

"Oi," the tall and rough captain growled. "We've been running all night and most of the morning. Are you sure he's close?" Normally, he wouldn't have a problem with running but his already thin patience was running out. While he really can't get mad at his adopted daughter, he was more than entitled to be annoyed.

Instead of answering, Yachiru released her grip on her father's black outer robe and leapt off his shoulder. The scarred powerhouse inwardly sighed as she tackled a petite figure running towards them. '_Why is Yachiru always able to find her_?' he asked himself. He didn't slow down at all when he neared the two girls. He simply swept the two up, ignoring the surprised squeak of the other girl.

"Ken-chan! I found Seppen-neechan!" the little girl shrieked with glee. Both were used to this as the young shinigami had done so countless times in the past. The girls had transferred to the spiky-haired captain's shoulders and made themselves comfortable.

"Yachiru-fukutaicho," Toshi started, "I've told you before that AkaruYami isn't an ice-based zanpakutō." Neither Kenpachi nor Toshi were really surprised that Yachiru ignored what she said about her partner as she started to ramble about how much fun her Ken-chan was going to have with the intruders. They just merely put it down to her selective hearing.

"Gaki," the man greeted his former subordinate in his usual crass manner. "Can you sense any of the ryoka?" Kenpachi usually didn't bother with the finer aspects of Zankensouki since he hated to rely on anything other than his natural strength but even he knew that running around like he did was more trouble than it was worth. Besides, he was getting impatient.

"There are reiatsu sources that are neither shinigami nor hollow (1) and another that's difficult to describe (2) heading towards the Shrine of Penitence. The latter is the strongest one I can sense right now. He's a few hundred meters ahead of us." She answered. Yachiru cheered at the fact that she could watch her father figure play with the ryoka and invited her sister to watch with her. "Gomenasai, Yachiru-chan. I really need to take care of the other ryoka."

The girl pouted a bit and tried to convince Toshi to stay. "Please, Seppen-neechan. It's been really, really long since you last played with us and I bet Shorty-taicho doesn't let you play a lot either." Yachiru tugged on the white-haired girl's sleeve and widened her eyes to almost impossible measures. She knew that Toshi liked children and was using that information to its fullest.

Toshi nearly caved at the sight. Yachiru was normally a cute child but when she used her puppy dog eyes, it was almost impossible to deny her anything. From what she recalled, the only one who could resist them was Gin and that was only because his eyes were squinted enough to avoid getting the full brunt of the adorable look. Toshi blushed hard when she thought of the pale captain. She had gone out to speak with the Third Division captain about where he was the other night; she was sure that he would be able to prove or disprove his innocence if he told everyone what he was doing that night. If he were guilty, then she would alert everyone by raising her reiatsu and stalling him until help arrived. She hoped that he was innocent; just thinking of the fact that Gin was involved with Aizen's murder felt like something slimy was violently trying to push its way out of her stomach. However, she felt the reiatsu of the ryoka and decided to seek them out. She quickly shook her head and cautiously answered. "I might be able to stay for a while." Yachiru's pleased squeals nearly deafened the spiky-haired captain and Toshi.

Glad that she avoided a Yachiru-sized tantrum (something no one wants to see or hear after the first time Yachiru was denied candy), Toshi instructed her former superior to change directions. "Turn right at the corner, Zaraki-taicho. The ryoka are a few corridors ahead and there's a way to enter that corridor..."

"Never mind that!" Kenpachi growled out. He had been listening to the two people on his shoulders go on and on. At any other time, he would have smiled at the girls getting along so well but he was itching for a fight and wanted it NOW! He simply leapt up when he neared the first wall and landed on the tiled roof. The lieutenant cheered as he did so while the Third Seat tightened her grip on his robe.

'_He's so impatient_...' Toshi thought, though she had to admit this was much faster than running through the maze that was Seireitei. She suppressed a sigh as she noticed that he was emitting killing intent. '_He's going to scare away the ryoka if he keeps that up_.'

After a few more jumps, the trio spotted two of the ryoka with a Fourth Division member. He was slung over the shoulder of the broader ryoka; the three thought he was taken hostage though only one actually cared enough to do something about it. "Bakudō 14: Shigamitsuku Chikyuu (3). A small dark bubble came out from her palm and rushed at the invaders. However, it was not aimed at them but rather the floor just in front of them. Where the bubble made contact with the ground, a large bed of quicksand formed. The intruders ran right into it and were stopped in there tracks.

Toshi quickly snatched the hyperventilating medic, Yamada Hanatarō, and waited for the effects of the Bakudō to stop. She made the Fourth Division member sit against the wall and realized that the ryoka were also close to panicking. The orange-haired boy who dressed like a shinigami was fairing better than the other but he had a look of fear in his eyes as he struggled to escape from the waist deep sand trap.

"Are you him?" her old captain asked the boy. "The one who beat Ikkaku, Kurosaki Ichigo?" He numbly nodded. "Oi, Toshi, is he the strongest of the ryoka?" She told him that she believed so. The violent captain grinned widely that reminded nearly everyone of a shark.

A black and pink blur came from behind the eye patch-wearing captain and landed on the other ryoka's head. "Ken-chan, Seppen-neechan, can I play with Minikui Kuma while you play with Ichi?" Yachiru's perch weakly whimpered out that his name was Ganju.

Toshi was about to say that the youngest-looking lieutenant shouldn't call people names and that she wanted to ask them a few questions about last night when Zaraki answered. "Go ahead." When they were about to start playing, something in the quicksand blew up and blinded everyone. Once the sand settled, Ichigo, Ganju and Hanatarō were gone. Toshi found them and directed her former superiors of their course before saying she must be on her way. They left hurriedly and she doubted if they actually heard her but decided that it didn't really matter. She tried sensing for the other ryoka but they were either busy with other shinigami or were able hide themselves well enough to go unnoticed. Making up her mind, the younger Hitsugaya prodigy sped off to the Third Division where she hopes to be able to privately speak with the captain.

It took a while as she came across several patrols that were also searching for the ryoka but she finally made it to the Third Division. She was directed to the captain's office instead of being escorted due to the current situation but that was fine with her. She entered the office, which was almost exactly the same as her brother's aside from the lesser degree of paperwork. The man she wanted to see was behind his desk but he wasn't doing any work. Instead, he had his head on his desk and soft snoring could be heard from the captain. She moved closer to her friend.

'_He doesn't look like he usually does when he awake_.' His entire being was relaxed; his face was a perfect example of peaceful slumber. His head was turned to the side and Gin's mouth was slightly open to allow him to breathe. She couldn't help but softly smile at the scene and reach out to brush a few silvery strands away from his closed eyes. As her hand was about to touch her friend's hair, his larger hand shot out and grabbed her by her wrist. He did the same with her other wrist and slammed her on the desk, not caring that his paperwork was fluttering to the floor. She instinctually gave a cry of pain but refrained from struggling because of the deadly aura Gin was emitting. His breath was coming in short and shallow pants as if he was trying to get as much oxygen into his lungs in the least amount of time. The younger shinigami, on the other hand, was barely able to breathe; it was as if the captain was trying to strangle whomever he was subduing with killing intent alone. Her eyes teared up in fright as she did what she could to keep Gin from thinking she was a threat in her current position.

It was his eyes that scared her the most. They were opened wider than usual but they didn't hold any of the playful mischief he shows her when they're alone. Instead, they held the eyes of a hollow soldier. It was those eyes that she was afraid of the most. To her, those eyes were of someone who had lost hope in living and was merely existing. People with those eyes have lost trust in the world and everything in it and were cursed to spend an eternity in their own personal hell with their inner demons.

Thankfully, Gin's eyes lightened and the killing intent dropped considerably though not entirely. '_His mind still hasn't caught up with reality yet_,' she realized. She repeatedly called him, using his title but he hardly responded beyond loosening his grip slightly. She tried another tactic. "Gin-san," she called timidly. "Gin-san, please wake up." Toshi knew she was getting through the haze in his mind when his breathing became slower and deeper. She couldn't stop a squeak of surprise, however, when Gin lowered his head and rested it on the crook of her neck. The captain released her wrists and wrapped his arms around her waist. The young girl blushed so hard she resembled a tomato but didn't push the larger body away. '_This is kind of nice_…' she thought as she ran her fingers through his short hair.

After a few moments, Gin somewhat woke up again. His eyes were still clouded with sleep but they didn't hold the malice that they had a few minutes ago. Before she could do anything to fully wake him up, Gin closed what little distance there was between them. It was simply a brush against there lips yet Toshi felt a pleasant shock run through her. The younger prodigy was saddened that he drew away and slightly… disappointed.

Those thin lips returned in a more passionate and deep kiss. When a probing tongue tentatively ran across her lips, Toshi let out an involuntary gasp that allowed Gin's tongue to slip inside her mouth. It slowly traced the inside of her mouth in a slow and sensual dance. Lost in the moment, she closed her eyes and shyly kissed back. Her tongue brushed against Gin's and both moaned in pleasure; Gin because he was with the person he loved and Toshi because of the overwhelming sensations she was experiencing. By this time, the mischievous captain was fully awake and thought that this was the best way to wake up. The need for air broke the kiss, much to their disappointment.

Seeing the captain awake, Toshi ducked her head and tried to look away to hide the raging blush. Gin gave a small smirk at the sight before him. The white-haired girl's uniform was slightly disarrayed but not enough to suggest what happened not long ago. Her hair barely resembled the orderly fashion it usually was and he suspected that his was in a similar state due to the soft fingers that raked through his scalp during that brief moment of passion. He was amused to see the reddening of the girl's neck that did more than hint the great blush decorating her face.

He reluctantly pulled away; both because he had to and because Toshi looked uncomfortable with her body half-bending over and half-lying on his desk. Toshi gave him a grateful yet still embarrassed look as she stood up and adjusted her uniform. He was a bit down that she wouldn't look him in the eye but understood since 1) he was sure just took her first two kisses and 2) they were damn good kisses if the way she responded was any clue. He had a feeling he knew why she was here and gave her sometime to compose herself.

Toshi had never felt her face so hot before. She wouldn't be surprised if her face was the same color as the new Sixth Division lieutenant's long hair. She had a feeling that Gin was smirking at her but she couldn't gather enough courage or curiosity to make sure. In the end, she settled for staring at ground between them. "Ich…" she swallowed as if to do the same with her utter embarrassment. "Ichimaru-taicho…"

"I believe, Toshi-chan," Gin interrupted. "That I told you to call me by my name when we're alone." She blushed harder.

"G-gin-san… I w-was wondering i-if you could tell me what you d-did last night…" her voice had started out audible but when she saw that Gin was walking close to her, her voice dropped to something that was only slightly louder than a whisper. She clenched her fist and hoped that it was a stable alibi and that her face wouldn't melt off because of the heat it was producing.

"Well," he began, "I visited Izuru for a while then came back here. He's usually does half of the paperwork so I had to do all of them last night. I… might have fallen asleep since I don't remember going to bed." Toshi stifled a giggle at the look of devilish 'innocence' Gin had on but she felt her lips twitch as if to form a smile. While she really couldn't prove that the first part of his alibi was true since she didn't have the clearance to check on detainees of other divisions, the completed documents on the floor were somewhat proof enough that he had done his paperwork.

"Thank you for your time, Gin-san." As she turned to leave, she felt Gin's hand on her shoulder. When she tried to face him, the Third Division captain planted a chaste kiss on her cheek, which reignited the flaming blush that had died down.

"O-ki wo tsukete, Toshi." Gin pulled her close for another kiss as she opened her mouth to ask about the missing honorific. Taking the opportunity, Gin slipped a small capsule into her open mouth and forced the girl to swallow. Within seconds, Toshi was unconscious. "You came into my office and asked me for my alibi regarding Aizen's murder. I told you I was doing paperwork and you checked them over. You felt a bit sick so I allowed you to take a nap here. Nothing else happened." After saying this, Gin gently placed the Tenth Division member on the couch and went to pick up the scattered documents.

"_Oi, Gin," _Shinsō called out. "_Ya sure it was smart ta give 'er that_?"

"_I don't have a choice. Aizen will notice that she's acting different around me if she remembered what happened in here and it would put her in danger. That drug should keep her safe for the time being_." Gin placed the gathered papers on his desk before stepping out of the office. He told a passing subordinate that no one was to enter his office until he returned.

In his mindscape, Shinsō sighed. "_That's gonna set your progress with 'er back a few decades. She was just startin' ta like ya back too_." The nyoijizai (4) walked around as he had been crouching for a while now. The deserted feudal village that made up his wielder's mindscape hadn't really changed over the years. There were a few dark red spots on some of the huts roads but he had learned to ignore those long ago. There wasn't really much to break the monotony; one of the few things was a small field of white flowers near the biggest structure of the village. He was glad for it really since he had something else to look at other than abandoned houses and dirt-packed roads. The field had started as a single flower when Gin met the little girl years ago until it grew to the size it was now. Even now, another flower was budding.

"_I guess it's lucky that a shinigami can live as long as a couple thousand years_." Gin knew that he was avoiding his zanpakutō point but Shinsō didn't comment on it.

* * *

"_**So it's agreed**_," Yami said. "_**We beat Gin up for upsetting Toshi-chan in the future but not severely since he is just looking out for her**_." The dark angel stretched her wings in slightly irritation; her feathers reflecting light from the sunset.

Her bright sister nodded her head as she thought of ways to make the man pay for what he just did and inevitably hurting the poor girl. She may look like the stereotypical angel but she was the more aggressive and emotional half and thus would be the most likely to do more than reprimand the silver-haired man when they do get to meet. An authoritative glare from Yami put a stop to Akaru's revenge plots for the time being. "_**Who has that much influence on Gin to make him do this**_?" She wondered out loud. She preened her wings in an unsuccessful effort to look like she didn't care about the pale captain.

"_**Who knows. Gin was Aizen's lieutenant for years before he became a captain himself. I doubt that kind of bond was as easily discarded as they make it appear. Someone can easily manipulate that bond for their own uses**_."

"_**Should we tell**_ _**her**_?"

After a few moments of deliberation, Yami answered. "_**It would be best if we did not**_." The paler sister gazed at the warm sun. "_**Though she has high regard for logic, she takes after you more than I**_."

Akaru sighed. "_**You do know that Toshi will call you out if she realizes that Gin is up to something, right**_?"

A wry smile appeared on Yami's lips. "_**At least I'll get a bit of exercise soon**_."

* * *

This would be Ganju and the rest since they're not shinigami or hollows.

Ichigo's reiatsu is 'difficult to describe' since Toshi hasn't encountered a shinigami/hollow hybrid yet.

My first made-up Kidō; literally "Earth which hangs on" or "Clinging earth". Acts as quicksand until a certain depth. Not sure of this is the right way to say it since I don't speak Japanese and I don't know how accurate Yahoo Babel Fish is.

I have no idea what Shinsō is or what he looks like so I'm making this up.

Glossary:

Gaki: brat, kid

Kuma: bear

Minikui: ugly

Nyoijizai: a skeletal-looking spirit that does as it pleases and is to stretch its arms great lengths

O-ki wo tsukete: formal way of saying "Take care"

Seijōtōkyorin: residential area of Central 46


	6. Chapter 6

Here's the next chapter. I'm sorry that it came out really late. Anyway, the timeline may be a bit messy but I really don't know the exact sequence of events during the Soul Society arc because of the many POV's in the manga and anime.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6: Making a Choice

Toshi buried her head deeper into the fabric she was lying on. Her head pounded almost as much as the time Rangiku (might have) accidentally spiked her tea a few years ago. She didn't even try to open her eyes just yet as the light was already blinding her when her eyes were closed. The young lady whimpered as the throbbing seemed to worsen before subsiding for the time being and saw that she was in the Third Division Office. Not sensing any danger, she slowly sat up. "Ichimaru-taichō?" she called. "Gin-san?" No one answered her calls. Her shoulders drooped when she realized she was alone in the office. She reminded herself that she would have to thank the captain for letting her rest in his office when she sees him again.

She wondered why she had a headache and felt tired since she should be used to staying up late by now. For some reason, Akaru and Yami were fairly agitated when she thought that but refused to explain when she asked. Brushing it off as compounded stress brought about by the ryoka and Aizen's murder, she made her way to the door. She was glad that she got the silver-haired captain's alibi and hoped that it was strong enough to hold if someone else questioned him.

She snuck out of the Third Division as it would raise questions she would rather not and/or didn't know how to answer if she was seen coming out of Gin's office and saw that the sky was pitch black. '_Did I really sleep that long_?' She was halfway to her division when she felt the rise of a semi-familiar reiatsu from last night.

Her feet were making their way towards the source despite her brain telling her that the Quincy was near the Twelfth Division. Kurotsuchi-taichō scared her more than any other captain because he had absolutely no morals whatsoever. He was a genius but he was also a sociopath who was given far too much power. Toshi took a calming breath as she had no doubt that she would meet up with the deranged captain again tonight.

Just as she arrived in the area, a large explosion occurred. Now these were fairly uncommon but not nearly so that it was suspicious as the Twelfth Division was known for performing several dangerous and borderline illegal experiments; most of which involved some form of destructive force. However, she sped up when she heard the screams. '_What have you done now, Kurotsuchi-taichō_?' she asked herself while hoping the Quincy was safe. The corridor where the commotion was coming from was right ahead of her. She saw a boy a bit older-looking than her run with his hand outstretched. She recognized him as one of the newly recruited shinigami who would practically drool whenever he saw Momo.

One minute, she was trying to recall what his name was in order to ask him what was going on; the next minute, she felt something warm and wet splash her in the face and chest as the force of the explosion sent her back a few feet. She could feel the heated air licked at her exposed skin. The metallic and sickly sweet scent of blood flooded her nose; with a shaking hand, Toshi did her best to wipe the blood off her face. The girl stood in shock before taking a hesitant step and then another towards the corridor; she pressed herself against the wall. In front of her was a thick cloud of smoke that was slowly dispersing; the Third Seat thought she could see something glowing but deemed it as non-threatening. Taking a peek on the other side of the passage, she saw the captain and vice-captain of the squad calmly observing the event. The way the captain's eyes gleamed at the moment reminded her of the night before.

Bravely, she stepped into the captain's line of sight. "Kurotsuchi-taichō," she asked in panic. "What's going on?" For once, the scientist ignored the younger shinigami in favor of something else. Against her better judgment, she took her eyes off the captain and saw that the glowing object was a triangular shield. It held up for a few minutes despite the giant cracks running through it before it shattered. She could see the black-clothed back of a boy who was comforting a teenaged girl with orange hair.

"The one who should be punished," the standing figure said, "is you!" Uryū glared at the odd-faced madman. He glanced at the other two people in the corridor. The tall doll-like shinigami standing beside the shorter hunched-over captain was most likely his lieutenant. She would be someone to look out because she would assist the man when they fought. The other looked younger than all the shinigami he and Orihime had encountered and she was covered with fresh blood, no doubt belonging to the three Twelfth Division members. He heard what she asked of Kurotsuchi and hoped that it meant she would not jump into the fight. Taking a second look while mechanically rejecting Kurotsuchi's 'generous offer' for Orihime, Uryū recognized the shinigami as the same one who tried to protect his grandfather.

"How about this!" Kurotsuchi practically yelled in excitement. "I'll give you top class special treatment." He rambled on, describing what he viewed as a good proposition which served only to make those not from the Twelfth Division sick.

"What of your men?" Toshi asked stoically. "Were they given even a fraction of what you have just offered?" Green eyes burned with rage at the inhumanity of the man before her. All eyes fell on her yet she paid no mind to anything other than the captain.

He snorted in response. "Don't be ridiculous, Hitsugaya-chan. I would never waste such privileges on those test subjects. They were useful only for this and even then they could not complete the task."

Toshi longed to draw her sword against the scientist but knew that it was against the law to attack a captain and she had a felling that Central 46 would not be as lenient as they were years ago. The boy, however, had no such restrictions; he appeared behind Kurotsuchi and had his weapon drawn. Unlike a shinigami, however, it was not the usual sword but an intricate dark blue and white bow. "Quincy…" Toshi's voice was barely heard over the crackling of the nearby torches but the young man easily read her lips.

'_She remembers_,' he thought. Sending a glare towards the Eleventh Division shinigami, Uryū ordered him to get Orihime to safety. The bullying coward did as he was told, not minding the girl's objections. Turning to the one he knew he could trust, the Quincy asked, "Hitsugaya-san, could you do what you can to keep my friend safe?"

She answered quickly before the captain could interrupt her. "I can't make any promises, Quincy-san." With that, she ran after the two who left. Unsaid words passed between them.

_Let's talk after things calm down_. _Please be careful_.

She had a horrible feeling that she just did something she shouldn't have when she turned her back on the Quincy but she knew it was for the best. Toshi took every shortcut she knew to get to the Eleventh Division in hopes of meeting up with Aramaki along the way.

She raced through the corridors when her instincts told her that there was danger nearby. She jumped back without a thought and escaped a punch that could have shattered her skull as easily as it smashed through the wall. Another punch came at her, forcing Toshi to dodge to the right. "I apologize but I have no time to waste, Kurotsuchi-fukutaichō."

Nemu straightened from her offensive position. "Mayuri-sama ordered me to retrieve the female ryoka for study and, if possible, you for experimentation."

"My division and several others will be less than pleased when they hear your captain's plans for me." She hated using the influence of her own position but she hated using the influence her brother and her friends had even more. Still, this was the quickest and most convenient way to avoid fighting with the Twelfth Division lieutenant.

Nemu stared blankly at the other girl. "Mayuri-sama reasoned out that confusion brought about by the ryoka would easily allow him to elude being incriminated." She slid into an offensive stance. "He means to proceed with them once he deals with the Quincy. As his lieutenant, it is my duty to capture his research subjects."

"Then why did you give Quincy-san the antidote to Ashisogi Jizō?" she whispered. She wouldn't put it past the scientist to use a surveillance system to spy on his division. After all, why else would Nemu talk about her father's plans instead of knocking her out as soon as she could?

Nemu's eyes widened at the quiet statement. She had hoped that no one would notice her slipping the bottle into the Quincy's shihakushō while everyone's attention was on the Third Seat.

It was a well-known rumor throughout Gotei 13 that the scientist's treatment of his subordinates was less than reasonable but no one could find enough evidence to truly accuse the man of anything illegal or inhumane. No one from the division would talk and he always seemed to know when there was someone observing him.

Nemu stayed silent and, for a moment, Toshi thought she could leave without engaging the stoic vice-captain. The air was knocked out of her when the taller woman buried her fist into her stomach. She was too slow to fully evade a kick to the head but backpedalled enough to escape the palm thrust to the chest. "I have to obey my captain's orders," she simply said.

Had it been anyone else, they would have thought that Nemu was nothing more than Kurotsuchi's tool. However, Toshi could tell that while she was being attacked by her fellow shinigami, the attacks were only truly destructive when they hit the wall or the tiled floor. From what she could recall from last night, the odd-faced captain wanted her for her sensing abilities so he probably wouldn't care if his test subject had broken bones for that kind of experiment.

Both girls took out their zanpakutō and began an elaborate and deadly dance. The sound of metal hitting metal was heard yet no one came to investigate. This did little to affect their performance. They silently agreed that while the victor was already decided, they couldn't risk the elder and more demented Kurotsuchi finding out that the fight was set up. Clothes were slashed and blood ran sluggishly from various wounds. Nemu was slowed slightly by a gash on her back while the cut on Toshi's shoulder was starting to bother her. The two blades met and each fighter tried to overpower the other. "It would be less difficult if you filed a complaint against him," the white-haired girl murmured.

A slight smile graced the other's face. It made her seem more human and yet that smile was full of regret and sadness. The reply was just as quiet. "He has ways of _discouraging_ everyone from doing so. I also am unable to risk the wellbeing of those under me."

Toshi nodded in understanding as she broke the deadlock. Both prepared themselves. Using, shunpo, they rushed at each other. When one of them used a low-level Hado as a distraction and executed Hainawa, the other was defenseless. A deep non-fatal slash to the side ended the mock fight. One fell to the ground. "You fought well, Nemu-fukutaichō," she said.

A smile could be heard in her voice despite her injuries. "As did you, Toshi-san." Toshi helped the other green-eyed shinigami rest against the wall and did what she could to slow the bleeding on Nemu's side and back.

While Toshi was busy, Nemu regarded the young shinigami. She was powerful, easily somewhere between lieutenant-class and captain-class if she had to make a rough estimate. The girl's Shikai also made her curious as she heard rumors from shinigami in various divisions. It would have made her wonder why she was not requested to fill in the long empty position of the Thirteenth Division had she not known exactly how protective her brother and captain was of her. Still, it certainly would have made Ukitake-taichō happy to have her as his vice-captain.

She put those thoughts aside to discreetly check the portable surveillance monitor she had. "The ryoka made it safely out of the Twelfth Division and the Quincy won his battle but he's severely injured. There are also reports from the Sixth and Eighth Division that two heavily built ryoka were captured with somewhat serious injuries. "

Toshi thanked her for the information and made sure she was comfortable before both felt the effects of another fight, this one between two captains of Gotei 13. Exchanging a look with Nemu, Toshi gave a dejected look as she ran. As much as she wanted to make sure that Tōshirō and Gin don't kill each other, she would be more help if she were to question the female ryoka about their motives.

She snuck into the Eleventh Division easily since most of the shinigami were still recovering from their encounter with some of the ryoka. Before she could lock onto the girl's location, someone dragged her inside a room and quickly shut the door. As the young Third Seat picked herself up, she couldn't help but think, '_At least I don't have to wonder what side everyone's on_.' In the room with the pair she was looking for were her close friends in the division.

"Neechan!" A blur barreled towards her and she almost made her lose her footing had she not gotten used to such greetings. Instead, she used the momentum of the pink cannonball of hyperness to spin in place before carrying her in her arms properly. "I knew Seppen-neechan would come if I brought Big Booby-neechan and Maki-Maki here!" Toshi blushed lightly at Yachiru's nickname for the girl. She was suddenly thankful for the decent nickname she got from the cute little girl.

Yumichika started fussing because of the blood she was covered in. "A beautiful young lady mustn't go around in such an ugly state," he nagged as he did his best to clean the other up. Toshi was blushing at the attention she was receiving from the people in the room. After a while, he gave it up as a bad job and started moaning over the fact that she couldn't change out of her clothes until later and began to treat her wounds. Aramaki and Ikkaku were laughing at the show the three were putting on while the captain had a wide and much less insane smile on his face.

"Konbanwa. I am the Third Seat of the Tenth Division, Hitsugaya Toshi." She was glad to finally introduce herself to the girl.

"Hajimemashite, Hitsugaya-san. I'm Inoue Orihime." Orihime was slightly anxious as she was in a room full of shinigami. Though Aramaki-san, Yachiru-chan and Ayasegawa-san seemed fairly harmless, the other two gave her the impression she was with someone involved with the yakuza. She was glad when the short, white-haired child was affectionately greeted as it broke the tension in the room and began to relax.

She gave Inoue a comforting smile. Before everything else, she told her about the Quincy's condition, as well as the detainment of two ryoka. Orihime wanted to rush to help Ishida with his injuries but Toshi managed to convince her that it was too dangerous to do that at the moment.

Toshi gave the girl time to calm down before interrogating her. "Inoue-san, I need to know why you and the others came to Seireitei and what you've done up to now." Orihime saw the worry and concern. She told the white-haired shinigami a very accurate summary of their reasons and activities, including everyone's relationship with Kuchiki-san and their meeting with the Shiba Clan.

Toshi relaxed after hearing her statements. '_At least we know they aren't responsible for Aizen-taichō's murder_.' Suddenly, a jigokuchō flew into the room and announced that the date of execution would be at noon tomorrow.

Everyone wanted to help the ryoka since something was undoubtedly wrong in Seireitei and they wanted to fight. "We have to get some rest first. Besides, we need to plan to stop Kuchiki-san's execution. Whatever is going on, it ties directly to that," Toshi reasoned. Needless to say, that was quickly done, mainly because Kenpachi planned to break the ryoka out of the detainment section of the Fourth then make their way to the execution grounds on Sōkyoku Hill. With a captain so set on the 'plan' and the other shinigami supporting it, Toshi and Orihime had no real choice but to agree to it.

'_It could work… After all, hardly anyone other than captain-class shinigami would dare to challenge Zaraki-taichō. And no one should expect something like this so soon_,' Toshi thought. She wondered what her brother was doing right now. They weren't the type to keep grave secrets from each other and not telling him about her involvement with the ryoka was making her nervous. Still, it can't be helped; they were going through with the plan and what happens after will be for better or worse. She picked Yachiru up once more and managed to coax her into getting some sleep. The rest were already making themselves comfortable.

"You're worried 'bout tomorrow, aren't you?" Toshi nodded and Kenpachi sighed. He really was no good in comforting people but the girl beside him grew on him. "Shorty will understand once everything is over. Now get some sleep." Smiling gently at the brusque order, Toshi thanked him and soon nodded off.

* * *

He hated his _superiors_ and wanted nothing more than to run them down with his Bankai and be rid of both of them. He lacked sleep, always had to keep his guard up and act a certain way and make sure he made no mistakes as Aizen's second-in-command and Yamamoto's spy. '_I better get a vacation if I live through this_,' he bitterly thought, '_a really long vacation_.'

The silver-haired man rested his head against the dark wood of the table. He didn't mind the other people occupying it and they didn't pay attention to his poor posture. After all, the dead would hardly care about that seeing as they too were slumped or leaning against something if they weren't in positions similar to the Third Division captain. Izuru, on the other hand, was resting outside the assembly hall as the blood and corpses made him uneasy.

Gin debated whether to pound his head against the table. On one hand, it might just make him listen to his often ignored common sense, which told him to either officially choose a side or just abandon both. However, banging his head would not only hurt, it would also cause his friend to panic and Aizen to suspect weakness and instability. He chose the latter as it might undo more than a hundred years of work.

"_If yer bored, ya could snoop aroun' again_," Shinsō suggested with a devilish grin. "_We found a buncha real nice stuff last time_."

His wielder's eye twitched. "_I would rather not find out what else the old geezers have in their rooms and please do not refer to the closet of porn as 'real nice stuff' ever again_." It was enough to embarrassing to find that; what made it worse was the fact that Aizen was with him when material after material fell on him. 'Dirty old bastards,' the fox-faced captain grumbled to himself.

He ignored his zanpakutō's cackling laughter and once more tried to see if he made any mistakes. Besides the obvious mistakes he made that would only affect his personal life, he couldn't think of anything that would affect his assignment though he had no doubt that Hitsugaya would not abandon a chance to take him down now that he threatened the naïve older sister.

"_Cheer up, Aibou. At least ya getta take off part of yer mask in a few hours_."

"_That's true. I won't have to worry about people finding out that I'm Aizen's second-in-command so I just need to concentrate on keeping my spy status a secret_." His mind drifted to what Toshi would think of him when he left Soul Society.

"_Ya could talk ta her for a bit before ya gotta go_," the skeletal spirit suggested.

"_Too risky and we've been taking more than enough risks as it is_." Shinsō tried to think of an argument before giving up. "_Just be careful, Gin_." he finally said before going off to rest.

He made himself comfortable; Aizen told him it would be an eventful day tomorrow. After all, the Kuchiki girl's execution is at noon and they would be leaving a bit after that.

* * *

Glossary

Aibou: partner

Bankai: second and final upgraded form of a Zanpakutō

Hado: offensive spells

Hajimemashite: "Nice to meet you"

Konbanwa: "Good evening"

Shikai: second form (or first "upgraded" form) available to a Zanpakutō

Yakuza: are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan

Kido list

Hainawa: Bakudō 4; creates an energy rope entangles the target's arms


End file.
